True Alpha, True Anchor
by BSimagine14
Summary: While running through the woods trying to save a were-coyote and regain control over his knew alpha powers, Scott realizes who his true anchor is (not a teen love connection or himself but someone who has always been there for him). What could have helped Scott re-learn control at the beginning of 3B. Scott and Stiles friendship. I do NOT own Teen Wolf.
1. Chapter 1

**True Alpha, True Anchor**

Stay grounded, stay focused. You can do this. Just breathe. Stay calm, stay human. Scott kept trying to calm himself down, tried to "be his own anchor" as his mom had suggestion what felt like long ago as he chased the coyote through the woods. He was in danger, Malia was in danger, and his friends were in danger. He had to keep his anchor or find a new one if he was going to save anyone…everyone.

But nothing was working. He couldn't be his own anchor. How could he? He had all of this new power now. He was a True Alpha. _He_ was a _True Alpha_? Jeez, he barely knew what it meant to be a werewolf! How could he be an alpha? Scott never considered himself a leader, even if Stiles always did.

Not to mention all of the things Scott had done to fail his friends or himself lately. He had let Derek almost die. He had watched so many of his friends actually die. Hell, when this all started he even got the Sheriff hurt. Scott seemed to only remember the mistakes. Then the motel came to mind. What kind of Alpha holds a flare while drenched in gasoline? He was so weak…he might have been pushed to that position but he meant every word. Only Stiles could talk him down and even then he had to be pushed down as they were all almost set on fire.

How was Scott supposed to handle the power of being an Alpha when he could barely handle the power of being a normal werewolf? Hell, he could barely handle being a normal teenager. He was struggling hard to be a better son, student, friend, and everything else that was human. Now he was alpha and he couldn't handle a simple shift. What if he became like Peter?

No, he couldn't think like that. They needed him right now. His friends needed him right now. He had to save them. He had to save this girl. He had to save everyone. But he needed an anchor if he was going to do that. And he obviously couldn't be his own anchor.

But who? Allison obviously wouldn't work anymore. To be honest he could now see how foolish it was for him to ever make her his anchor. How often does teenage love ever actually last? But no, he had to be so caught up in the moment like any cliché teenage love-sick boy. Allison wouldn't work, so what about his other friends, maybe a werewolf? But none of them were close enough, not even Derek who had been like a big brother or mentor teaching him so much over the past few years and fighting alongside with him. Even though he'd grown close to Isaac, shared a house with the boy, there wasn't any anchor material there. He couldn't be calmed by them enough to use them. His mom came to mind. She was strong, so strong, smart, independent, and had taught him everyone he knew but for some reason she just wasn't working…

That's when it clicked. He knew why his mom wouldn't work. He thought of the nights after his dad left when he was so scared. When his mom had to start taking even more extra shifts at the hospital to make up for his father's lost paycheck. He was scared. He hated being alone. And for some reason he started having these nightmares about his dad…but he wasn't alone. There was always someone where to comfort him, but it wasn't his mother. And again when all of this werewolf stuff started, his mom wasn't there (because of course he had to lie to her to keep her safe). But someone else was there when his mom wasn't.

It was Stiles, the lanky, hyperactive, motor mouth that helped him through it. Stiles held his hand and talked him through the nightmares. In fact, Stiles was always there for him; when his dad left, when his asthma put him in the hospital, when he needed a practice partner for lacrosse, when he turned into a freaking werewolf, and every adventure that followed.

Stiles was the one who did the research and discovered what Scott was and didn't turn away when Scott got mad at him for it. Stiles was the one who helped him through his first full moon and all the full moons that followed. Stiles was the one who followed him home from the party to make sure he was okay. Stiles didn't freak out and leave him when Scott tried to attack him. Stiles spent all night and morning looking for Scott after his first full moon. Stiles ran right into danger to take down the alpha just to have Scott's back. Stiles helped Scott keep his relationship with Allison even if it took away from their friendship. And Stiles was there when the relationship ended (he didn't even say 'I told you so'). Stiles stayed by Scott's side through a restraining order and getting the sheriff in trouble. The kid took a beating from a hunter for Scott and never once complained. He even showed up for the final battle after he'd been beaten. Stiles trudged through sacrifices even if his virgin self was a potential target and he had to witness an old friend lie on a mortuary slab. He talked Scott off the ledge and then put himself in danger jumping at Scott when the flare rolled back into the gas. And Stiles even sacrificed himself right alongside Scott. Stiles was there through everything, from beginning to now.

When everything felt like it was falling apart but Scott tried to hold it together, tried to put on a mask, Stiles saw through it all. Stiles was there to put a hand on his shoulder and ask if he was alright. Stiles always could sense when something was wrong with Scott, even if he was human and had no supernatural abilities. Jeez, Stiles was just human and he stayed by Scott's side.

Even with the horrible nightmares, anxiety, and the awful return of panic attacks Stiles stayed by Scott's side. He didn't run when Scott began to lose control in the hallway at school. Scott had told Stiles to leave, to run away because he didn't know what would happen. He was so afraid he would attack his best friend again. But Stiles stayed because Stiles always stays. That's just who Stiles was. It's like Stiles said back at the motel, they're brothers. Stiles had been there from the beginning, he was pack before Scott even knew he had a pack. Stiles was there when Scott had been nothing. When Scott thought he had lost everything at least he always had Stiles. The most loyal and dependable friend anyone could ask for.

Stiles was a big part of what made him a True Alpha. Stiles was his true anchor.

With that in mind Scott took a breath and jumped in front of the coyote in need of saving. It didn't take long for him to find Stiles' rapid heartbeat. He probably didn't even have to be that close. Scott had been around the boy long enough to have Stiles' heartbeat memorized. It was one of the perks of being lifetime friends. He knew Stiles had to be panicking right now but Scott could fix that. Scott could fix anything as long as Stiles was around.

Knowing Stiles was his anchor, knowing he was grounded, Scott let his eyes turn red and he let out an alpha roar…

/There's my little dip into Stiles' being Scott's anchor. I couldn't decide if I wanted to make this into a story or just leave it as a one-shot so I'm just putting it up and going to see what kind of reactions I get. If you want more let me know, if enough want more I'll write more :) Thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	2. Chapter 2

**Keep Me Grounded**

They'd done it. They had saved the day yet again. When they all thought they couldn't, they pulled through. Allison had found aim, Stiles found some sanity, and Scott found his humanity, his anchor. And of course, Malia found her home. They were all exhausted. But it was the good kind of exhausted. Not the kind that makes you want to curl in a ball under your covers and sleep away hidden from the world for a while. But the type of exhausted that makes you want to sit back with a cold drink with your buddies and sigh with content before heading off to a well-rested, well deserved night's sleep.

After everything had been taken care of Scott and Stiles sat on the hood of the jeep out by the cliff in the woods. They were still a little wired from the adrenaline and maybe a little in shock that they had pulled through. But content. At least, Scott was content. He looked up at the stars and smiled before looked over at his best friend, his brother, who was twitching around (jeez that kid could use some sleep). "Hey, Stiles," He got his friends attention. "I don't think I ever told you this, but thank you."

Completely confused, Stiles raised an eyebrow. "Thanks? For what? I'm not the one who alpha-ed the were-coyote into submission and made her a girl again. I barely saved Lydia's foot." He scoffed, glad he could read again but still feeling anxious. He just couldn't shake the feeling that this was all far from over. But he couldn't tell Mr. Optimism Scott that.

Scott gave his friend a crooked smile. "No, man, I mean thanks for pulling through for me today. Thanks for pulling through for me every day. With what you've been going through the past few weeks I can't believe you actually came running into the woods with me. After that panic attack…" Scott stopped himself, not wanting to think about that. "You could have stayed home, but you came out here and tried to help even when the odds were stacked against me."

"Well yeah, you're my best friend." Stiles smiled and gave a slap to Scott's shoulder, not understanding the importance to what Scott was trying to say.

Scott shook his head. He needed to let Stiles know. "No, I know. But I mean, you've always done that. You've always been there for me, kept me grounded. You were right by my side during the sacrifice thing, the last thing I saw before being held down in the cold water. You held me down when Derek helped me with the tattoo. You showed up at the perfect time at the showdown with Gerard and the Kanima, even though you'd been beaten to a pulp just hours before hand." Scott jumped off the jeep and began to pace.

"Scott, it's okay. That's what a best friend sidekick does."

But Scott wasn't going to let Stiles belittle himself. "It's more than that. Not everyone would do for their friend what you did for me when all this started. Do you remember when I was first bitten? I attacked you how many times? You were just trying to help and I threw you up against a wall. You pulled me off the field when I started to freak out and I attacked you in the locker room. Hell, I went after your big lifetime crush. And after all of that you still tried to help. You followed me to that party with Allison. I know you only went because of me and you followed me home when I left. You searched all of Beacon Hills and the woods all night and morning for me that first full moon. Even though you knew there were crazy alphas and hunters and me out there that could kill you. But you found me and picked me up and took me home. You did that. You helped me figure out how to control my shift."

"Well, to be fair you did turn my life into some cool sci-fi movie or a comic book." Stiles gave his friend a goofy smile, feeling a little weird at the compliment he was getting.

With a sigh Scott brought up what the two had sworn they would never speak of again. "That night at the motel, you kept me grounded. Allison, my first love and anchor, wasn't the one to get through to me. You did. You were willing to die to save me. Hell, you almost did. All I could see that night was you. I barely even registered that Allison and Lydia were there." Scott looked up from his hands to see Stiles giving him one of his rare, serious faces. "But it was always like that Stiles. You always grounded me, even before all of the werewolf stuff. You were always there. When everything was going on with my parents and I was having so many asthma attacks you were this permanent fixture in my life, this constant. It was always Scott and Stiles."

"Scott what are you trying to say? Because I'm really confused here." Stiles hopped down from the jeep, much less gracefully than Scott had. "If you're about to confess some undying love for me, bro, that's just not cool because…"

Scott stopped Stiles with a laugh. "No, we're good. We're brothers." He looked out at Beacon Hills from the cliff. It really was a pretty view. "I figured something out tonight and I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out."

Stiles walked up and clapped Scott on the back, still not understanding what Scott was trying to say. "I know. I'm glad you finally stopped doubting yourself and could find your inner alpha or whatever. I mean, I never lost faith in you buddy but you were cutting it pretty close there." He chuckled a little, with a hint of confusion and nervousness edging the laughter.

Again Scott shook his head. "I still doubt myself Stiles." He looked over to see Stiles giving him a confused look. "I didn't find my inner alpha because I started believing in myself again. I still have doubts. How could a kid like me, someone who barely passed their sophomore year, be a true alpha? I've accepted it but there's still doubt."

"Then how did you go all alpha and shut the door or whatever Deaton told us? How did you control the alpha power and keep hold of your humanity?"

With a deep breath Scott said one word. "You."

Stiles turned to his friend with raised eyebrows. "What are you talking about? I know I've come up with some great plans or suggestions in the past for your wolfy problems but I had nothing this time. If you hadn't noticed I've had some of my own issues to solve recently."

"You know, for the smart one out of the two of us, you can be pretty dumb." Scott laughed. "I found a new anchor Stiles. You're my new anchor. Well, maybe not new. You've always been my anchor; I just didn't see it before. You've always kept me grounded. You've always reminded me of my humanity. How many times have you reminded me that I'm human? It's pretty stupid we didn't think of it before."

After the shock faded from Stiles' face he nodded his head and they sat in quiet for a while before Stiles bump Scott with his shoulder. "And there's another big plus to this." He looked at Scott who had raised his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. "I'll never break up with you. At this point, it would be too much work to break up with you really. Werewolf best friends are hard to come by. So you don't have to worry about the angst of losing another anchor." They both laughed.

Scott gave Stiles a slight shove. "Whatever. Come on, we should head home. It's been a long day."

"Yeah, it's been a long week." Stiles smile but looked over Beacon Hills one last time. "And I have a feeling it's going to be an even longer year." He couldn't stop the shiver that ran through his spine. "We'll be okay." He said, trying to ignore the haunting feeling in his gut as he followed Scott to the jeep and hopped behind the wheel. "We'll be okay, Scotty."

Scott smiled as the jeep roared to life. "Yeah, I think we will. I mean, what could be worse than the Darach?"

Stiles slammed on his breaks and shot a glare over to Scott. "Seriously? Did you really just say that? Have we not watched enough horror movies for you to know that you never say shit like that? You just cursed us Scott. We're screwed." He shrugged his shoulders and put the jeep back into gear before taking off again.

Scott couldn't help but laugh at his friend. "Whatever Stiles." He really didn't believe anything could be so bad. Even if they faced something worse, something more powerful, then at least they had the pack and they had each other.

Late that night, almost early morning, Stiles sat on the floor looking at the door. There were cracks spreading through the wood, looking like nasty dark veins. It reminded him of when werewolves were poisoned with wolfsbane. He cocked his head to the side, trying so hard to understand the scene before him.

There was deafening silence, the kind that makes your ears ring. And while it was dark in his room it was pitch black, the kind of black that gives a while new definition to the word, on the other side of the door. Faintly in the background Stiles could hear a strange sound beyond the silence. At first he thought that maybe it was water dripping, then maybe music playing, but then it morphed into something else and he knew for sure what it was. It was the sound of a crackling fire.

Stiles stood up and looked outside his windows only to see that there was nothing but woods. The kind of woods that seemed alive in some ominous way like the trees could come alive or malevolent eyes were lying in wait for prey. Some part of him, deep within his mind and buried within his conscious thoughts, knew that wasn't right. He knew something was off but he just couldn't figure it out. He looked around the walls of his room and saw thousands of news articles and book clippings covering every inch. There was string, all red, leading to everywhere. So many connections but no answers and he suddenly felt as if he were floating, his feet off the ground. He looked back at the cracked door.

And the door stood ajar…

/So I guess I really like writing dark stories...I was trying to think of where I wanted this to go and I'm really going to test this whole anchor thing and I'm going to play with the Nogitsune myth I think. So there will be some elements of season 3B but I'm going it on my own. I hope you guys enjoy. Also, I just wanted to let you know next week is when finals are for my summer classes and then a week and a half after that I go back to school so things could get a little crazy. I'm going to try to get ahead during my time between classes but if I fall behind please don't hate me and I promise I won't ever give up on any of my stories! Anywho thanks for reading, please review, and have a fantastic day! :)


	3. Chapter 3

There are some spoilers if you haven't seen season 3B, just saying.

 **Dark Circles**

Dark circles remained under Stiles' eyes. He felt like crap but he couldn't let it show. They had won after all. The nightmares were supposed to stop. He had to stay strong. He was Scott's anchor now. Stiles couldn't believe it. When Scott told him he was happy but scared. What if something happened to him? What if his human flaws caught up to him? What would happen to Scott then? It would be worse than just a break up. But he couldn't say anything to Scott about that. No, he had to just say something funny and move on. And now, most definitely now, he couldn't tell Scott about the nightmares.

"Hey kiddo, are you doing okay?" The sheriff leaned against the doorframe, a new morning routine for the father and son. Ever since the nightmares started the sheriff came to check on his son before Stiles went off to school and he went off to work. But he only asked the next question when the nightmares woke him up as well. "Are you good enough for school?"

Stiles rolled his eyes and pulled his jacket on, for some reason he'd been feeling colder than usual lately. "Yeah dad, I'm fine. They're just nightmares, just nightmares." He repeated it for his own benefit. At least he could read again. That had to mean something. Maybe it wasn't supernatural.

"Yeah, okay, it's just…" Sheriff Stilinski ran a hand over his short hair. "Stiles if you want to take a day off I'd call you in. Maybe I could take the day off with you and we could…"

"Dad!" Stiles cut his dad off, sounding a little harsher than he meant to. He seemed to have a shorter temper than usual. It made his dad jump. "Sorry, it's just, I'm fine, okay? I said I'm fine. I'm going to go to school." Stiles shoved another book into his bag and went to leave but his dad was still standing in the doorway. "Dad, it's nothing. If it gets worse then I'll stay home." He knew what 'staying home' meant. He knew what his dad was fearful of. "But I'm fine. Maybe a little stressed but can you really blame me? My best friend is a werewolf, my dad was almost sacrificed, and just yesterday I couldn't read. Nightmares are just par for the course." He gave his dad his best smile.

The sheriff sighed but moved out of the way. "Alright, but make sure to tell me if it gets worse Stiles." He gave his son a smile and a pat on the shoulder as Stiles walked passed him and went down the hallway. Once Stiles was out of sight, the sheriff pulled out his small notepad and wrote down another symptom. "Irritability." He shook his head and went to work.

Everything seemed to be going back to normal. Stiles let the nightmares go on a secret, hoping they would just go away. And Scott thought everything was okay. But the night before coach's birthday, mischief night, Stiles was able to make his sleepless night productive. He was going to the school, meeting with his best friend, to pull one of the best pranks he had ever come up with.

Honestly, he didn't really know what made him think of it. It was during one of his few naps that didn't end with him screaming. How weird was it to dream of a prank? And not just any prank, but the perfect prank for coach? Stiles wasn't going to question it.

Scott had noticed the dark circles under Stiles eyes, the little loss of energy, and the slightly shiver that seemed to be permanent now. He wanted to ask, make sure he friend was okay. But seeing how happy he was as they prepared the perfect prank, he just couldn't do it. He wanted Stiles to be happy again.

When the twins came up to him in the morning he was happy that Stiles showed up by his side. It was nice to have Isaac there too, but Isaac was more of someone he had to rein in. Stiles was there for support, there to help him stand his ground. It just helped Scott confirm that Stiles was the perfect anchor. He's the perfect right hand man.

Plus he was there for a good pep talk. "Yes, you are the hottest girl."

"I'm the hot girl."

However this is Beacon Hills and things can't stay happy and perfect. Of course there had to be a crazy murdering bomber to ruin the day, to ruin the new peace. It was nice while it lasted though. But, once again they managed. When they were all in danger at the school Stiles managed to get them all out, even if he did get detention for a week. And it was Stiles who discovered what Barrow was doing at the school, with some help from Lydia. They figured out he was after Kira.

During all of the craziness, no one seemed to notice when Stiles slipped away from the group, not even Stiles. He wasn't really the one behind his eyes when he stole the key to chemistry closet and wrote three numbers on the chalk board with a smile on his face, a smile that was unlike any smile that had ever shown on his face before. And when he left the classroom, new key in his pocket, Stiles remembered nothing. He just went to find his friends to stop something bad from happening, something bad that he had helped start.

It was during the fight at the power substation that Scott felt something weird though. They were all there to save Kira and stop Barrow. Scott had run in ahead of Stiles, his werewolf abilities allowing him to fun faster and smell where the two were at. He didn't know that Stiles was right behind him with his trusty baseball bat that had helped him save their parents. No, Scott was focused on saving Kira from some crazy killer ranting about kids with glowing eyes and a bad movie.

As Scott was busy trying to play the hero Stiles was lost trying to find them, he had no super hearing, super smelling, or super speed. When electricity surged through the building as if by magic his bat, which had been rested on the floor, was pulled toward one of the electrical boxes sending a painful amount of electricity through Stiles' body causing him to black out on the hard concrete floor.

Scott, busy taking in the shock of Kira with all of the electricity, barely noticed the stop in the heartbeat he always followed, always kept a trained ear on. But he did feel a tug on his heart, something he couldn't describe, as if a part of him had been taken away. He didn't know what was happening to Stiles but if he had been more attuned to his anchor or if he hadn't been so distracted/shocked with what was going on around him he would have known. He would have gone running to his friend.

Stiles looked around the white room, a room he hated that he recognized. "Scott?!" He called out for his friend unsure of where he was or what happened. "What is going on?" He felt panic starting to rise up within him.

"It's beginning Stiles." A voice from nowhere and everywhere spoke to him. "I'm fully awake now Stiles. I have all the power I need. Now you just have to let me in."

Before Stiles could answer or be afraid he was waking up on the concrete floor of the power substation and the electricity was gone from the air. He couldn't remember what happened. Confused, disoriented, and a little concerned Stiles took off in the dark to find his friend forgetting the baseball bat now magnetized to the burned metal, hoping everyone was okay. Little did he know he was the true target that day and he was not okay.

/Alrighty so this chapter and the next few are going to follow season 3B pretty straight on for the most part with a few changes or missing scenes/thoughts but then I'm going to go my own way after Stiles goes missing after the MRI. So, the next few chapters will be more like a set up to the bigger picture and they might be a bit longer. I think I know where I'm going with this...so yeah thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	4. Chapter 4

**Fireflies**

"They're eyes were greenish-yellow. Like fireflies." The men Isaac had seen were from fireflies. Those innocent little bugs every young child chases trying to catch into jars just to watch them glow. Those bugs you always saw as peaceful and beautiful. Now, those glowing bugs are masked men with swords attacking those they cared about.

But Scott and Stiles didn't know about them yet. They were busy cleaning up the mess surrounding the incident that saved Kira. Stiles put on his sarcastic charm with the police and they all made it out fairly easy. No one noticed the extra jumpiness in Stiles or the slight burns hidden on his body. Hell, he barely noticed. Everyone had someone else to distract themselves with.

However, Scott did notice the slight change in Stiles' heartbeat. He looked at his friend as they left the station. "Hey, are you okay man?" He asked as Stiles went to get into his jeep and Scott went to start his bike. Scott was a little concerned that Stiles couldn't tell them what happened after he had entered the power substation after Scott.

Stiles shrugged his shoulders, feeling a little off but not enough to worry his friend about. "Yeah I'm fine." He had to be fine. The alpha's anchor had to be okay. Right? "I'll see you at school." Stiles left it at that, driving off without another word.

At school Stiles was commenting on coach's triple negative when he noticed his keys as if for the first time. Where would an extra key come from? But he didn't have time for that. He had to stop Scott from going after Kira. He had to keep Scott safe. That's what a good anchor does, right? He had to keep him from Kira, keep Scott and the pack safe. The strange key could wait. Stiles' problem could wait.

As much as Scott knew he should listen to Stiles, listen to his anchor, he couldn't help himself. Scott had once been told by a very smart individual that he could do things other people couldn't and that meant that he had to do something. That meant he had to help people. Didn't that mean he had to help Kira too? If he was going to help people, he had to help everyone. Kira wasn't a bad person, at least not intentionally. She was just confused and scared. Stiles would understand.

"Stiles I need to you help me get Kira into the police station." Scott said after school. "Please."

Stiles just stared at his friend. "You're kidding me, right? I just told you not to go near her. I told you to stay away until we knew more. What has happened in the past when you didn't listen to me Scott? Bad things, very, very bad things; which is why you should always listen to me. I do get tired of telling you 'I told you so.' So, why don't we just go to Danny's party and ignore Kira's problem? I like that idea. It doesn't get us into trouble."

"Stiles, remember what you told me back when this all started? You said that I could do things other people couldn't. You said that mean I had a responsibility to help people, that I had to do something. Well, this is me helping." Scott knew that using Stiles' own words against him was the perfect way to win. "You've done it plenty times before, so we won't get caught. If you're really that worried about getting caught because of everything that's going on with your dad's job then you can wait outside. Okay? I promise everything will be okay. Kira is a good person." Scott gave a crooked smile as he watched Stiles' will crumble.

"Fine I'll help. Meet me at the station tonight before the party." Stiles shook his head. "I hate you sometimes."

Scott only smiled, hearing Stiles' heartbeat perfectly. "No you don't."

"What does Kira even need in the station anyways?"

Knowing Kira didn't want this getting out and it would only worsen Stiles' suspicions of the girl Scott shrugged. "Uh, she has some pictures, you know, like naked pictures on her phone that she doesn't want anyone to see. So she needs to delete them before, you know, anyone can see them."

Stiles narrowed his eyes at his friend. He didn't need to be a werewolf to know Scott was lying. "Scott, how long have we been friends? Do you really think you can lie to me?" He didn't get a response, just another shoulder shrug. "Fine, whatever, you'll tell me eventually. I'll see you later." Stiles took off towards his jeep to head home, his mind consumed by the damn mystery key. If the key hadn't been there he might have pressed Scott a little harder.

That night at the station Scott couldn't help but feel weird sneaking around without Stiles right by his side. It made him tune into Stiles' heartbeat just a little more than usual. It made him feel as though Stiles was right there, and he needed that even if he wasn't sure why. And when he saw the picture of himself on his dad's laptop, he needed that heartbeat to keep him grounded, keep him calm. He noticed a slight tick in Stiles' heartbeat, feeling nervousness. It made him nervous. But as soon as he saw Stiles stopping Agent McCall, he calmed even though that situation should make him more nervous. He had his anchor right there, he didn't need to worry. Scott could trust Stiles to get him out of this situation.

Stiles wasn't sure what took over him. He wasn't an aggressive person. He was the fun and awkward person. The only time he'd ever been aggressive was in life-threatening situations. This definitely wasn't life threatening. Maybe it was just seeing Agent McCall, especially when he was there to try to take away the sheriff's job, that got under Stiles' skin. When he knew Scott and Kira were clear he couldn't help himself. He let that anger bubble up. It was almost like it wasn't him controlling the words. "Yeah, because he knows something that you don't want him to know." Stiles felt a confidence he has never felt before, a power he had never felt before. He stopped Agent McCall from laughing this off and walking away. "And guess what." He lowered his voice to a whisper, just in case Scott was still where he could hear. "I know it too." And with that he left, unsure where that came from.

It was at the party that everything started to go all wrong, though. The men in masks with eyes like fireflies came, attacking the werewolves. But everyone was too distracted to notice in time. Even Stiles was properly distracted. Some pretty girl had even managed to distract him from the key when he finally managed to bring it up to Scott, who seemed plenty interested and concerned (to the point that it confused Kira a little, why were they so concerned about a key?).

When Scott felt a little overwhelmed with finally feeling closure with Alison, feeling permitted to move on, and being with Kira (afraid he might turn in front of his new girl) he just had to look for Stiles to be grounded. And when he saw Stiles dancing awkwardly with some random girl, looking happy and at ease for the first time in a long time, it was easy for Scott to fall into the same light and happy mood. He didn't care about Alison or the old wound there, the mysterious key, the fox shadow surrounding Kira, or any of the other supernatural crap going on. He was so relaxed he didn't notice the masked men or his friends missing. He didn't notice the coldness or the noise. No one did.

It turned out Stiles' distraction seemed to be just what he needed to answer his question about the mysterious key. And with that little amount of information about phosphors, Stiles couldn't be distracted any longer. The kissing couldn't stop his mind from running in over drive. He had to go to the school. He had to prove his overactive brain wrong. But when he made it to the chemistry room, his worst fear was confirmed.

The party was ruined by Derek and…and the men in masks. They came from the dark, made whoever they touched cold and feel as though they were close to death, as if there was nothing. They left whoever they touched with a mark, a backwards five. And fighting them seemed impossible. They just wouldn't, couldn't die. And then they pulled out their swords and became unstoppable. As they turned to Scott and Kira, the sun began to rise and they just disappeared, leaving nothing but mirrored fives and plenty of questions.

Across town Stiles was having a mild panic attack. He needed to get to Scott. He needed to show him what he found, even if he was unsure of what he found himself. He had the key to the chemistry closet. The writing on the board was his. He left the message to Barrow. He was the bad guy.

"I told you it was all beginning Stiles." I voice laughed, causing Stiles to turn around but see no one. "When is a door not a door?" The voice mocked him as the sound of chalk on a chalkboard filled the room, it made Stiles turned back around to face the board. Right where the message had once been there was now a giant backwards five. "Do you know any riddles Stiles?"

Stiles took a few steps back. "No, this can't be happening." He put his hands on his head. "This is a dream, I'm dreaming. This has to be…" He put his hands down to count but there were ten fingers there, nothing out of the norm.

"This is real Stiles and it's only just beginning." The voice laughed.

Stiles couldn't stand it any longer. He ran to the board, erasing the giant five as if that would erase the voice and fell to the floor crying. "No, no I couldn't do this. I couldn't…" He wiped his tears and ran from the room. He needed to find Scott. Once he told Scott everything would be alright. He pulled out his phone and dialed his first speed dial but only got a voicemail. "Hey, Scott, look I need to talk to you. If you don't call me back then find me first thing at school." His voice was shaking as he ended the call.

When Scott got the message he was concerned, but he was also concerned about the sword wielding masked men that seemed impossible to kill that were coming for him. So he decided to wait until school to find Stiles, he had other important things to do like talk to Chris about what was attacking them. And when he did, he'd tell Stiles about his own night. Stiles might even have a few answers for him after all that research Stiles has been doing these last few weeks to prepare for the supernatural. He wasn't sure what he was expecting Stiles to tell him but it sure wasn't this.

Stiles was the one who sent the message to Barrow? It couldn't be. He seemed so sure though. He also looked so sick. Those dark circles were getting worse and he was shaking, the key wasn't even there and the writing on the board was gone. It was like he was on the verge of a panic attack. Scott wished Stiles could use him as an anchor for panic attacks like Scott used Stiles for his werewolf shifting. But that's not how science works. So Scott just tried to comfort Stiles in any way he could, and that meant holding back information about last night and just making sure Stiles was okay. "Dude, are you feeling okay? You're looking really tired." He prayed this was only from lack of sleep and there wasn't anything seriously wrong with Stiles. He didn't know what he would do without him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just haven't been sleeping really." And man did he look tired.

"Why don't you go home? Take a sick day or something?" Scott needed Stiles to get better. He needed Stiles in this fight but he knew Stiles would be useless like this. So he patted his shoulder, hoping to provide some kind of comfort and went on his way.

Stiles went to the hospital, knowing he had to do something. There was something wrong, something really wrong, and he had promised his dad he would go to the doctor if it got worse. But having to admit to Melissa that he wasn't alright was hard. Then when he started to list his symptoms to her, his mind went to a dark place. Blackouts, sleepwalking, anxiety, panic attacks, his lack of sleep (eight hours in the last three days), being irritable (possibly to the point of homicide although he hoped not), unable to focus (although he already had the problem long before all of this started, the Adderall not working was the real problem though), impulsive behavior (but let's be honest that's just a character flaw), and the worst, vivid dreaming during the day. Listing those out made him think of his mom, but Melissa seemed to think otherwise, which calmed him (although that could be the sedative).

"Why did you give me a sedative?" Stiles hated being poked.

Melissa took his shoulders and looked him right in the eyes. "Because you, Stiles, are one profoundly sleep-deprived young man; you need rest and you need it now. Lie down." She was firm and motherly as she lied him down.

The drugs and lack of sleep and thinking about his mom…Stiles couldn't help but call out "Thanks Mom" as a hand ran over his forehead and his started to drift off to sleep…

"Stiles. Oh Stiles." That terrible voice made its way back into Stiles' mind. "Do you want another riddle Stiles?" And so the torment began. "Your friends don't believe you. Scott can't believe his perfect, wonderful anchor is evil. He can't believe all of the things I've made you do. He won't believe all the things I'm going to make you do. That's what makes this so perfect. I'm going to make him doubt his anchor and then you will tear down the pack, one by one. You will kill everyone you love."

Stiles looked around, seeing nothing but trees in the dark woods he stood in. "Who are you? What are you doing? What do you want? What's going on?!" Stiles didn't like not having the answers. He didn't like being toyed with. He needed answers. He looked at his hands. "I'm dreaming."

There was a smile in the voice. "Just because you're dreaming doesn't mean it isn't real. Come on, hasn't your time in the supernatural world taught you anything?" There was a ghost of a breath on the back of Stiles' neck, causing him to turn around but see nothing. "You're going to let me in Stiles and then the real fun will begin. Right now you need to wake up. Those pesky fireflies are coming."

Stiles had felt odd waking up, not remembering his dream for the first time in a long time. He felt actually well rested. He didn't wake up screaming. What drew him to the basement he wasn't sure, he just felt like he needed to go there. But it had to be a bad decision. Once he was down there he was faced with two demon-looking beings with masks. He wanted to run, he tried to run. But then something stopped him, and it wasn't just another one appearing in front of him. Something inside of him seemed to take over and he was no longer afraid. They were just bugs. He could reach in and squish them so easily. His body shook, but not with anxiety like usual. No this time it was power and confidence running through his body and it felt so sweet.

After the night Scott had had, he was ready to just fall into bed. But he needed to find Stiles, too much has happened. His dad had been stabbed, they had spent the night trying to fight off the masked men only to find out they didn't need to, and he'd felt a darkness, a cold he had never felt before, not even when he'd been submerged in ice water. They finally knew what they were, Oni, some kind of demons that were unstoppable. They were only checking for something, leaving the mark meaning "self". They are looking for someone possessed by a dark Kitsune, a Nogitsune.

When he came to the room Stiles was meant to be in and found it empty he felt his stomach drop. He knew something was wrong. Scott took off, following the scent he knew very well, trying to find Stiles. Where would he have gone anyways? When Scott came to the basement he could smell Stiles strongly, but also something else. There was a hint of what he smelt on the Oni but also there was something mixed with Stiles…something he couldn't put his finger on. And Stiles stood there, unmoving as if there was something wrong or maybe he was sleepwalking.

It was all a little unnerving to Scott, but then he picked up on that familiar heartbeat. It was slightly slower than usual but it was still Stiles' heart. He approached his friend slowly. "Stiles? You okay?" He just wanted his friend to be okay.

Turning around, the sickly teen acted as if this was all normal. "Yeah, fine. What's been going on?" Stiles felt like himself again, everything else forgotten, even the firefly lying dead on the floor.

/So this was quite a bit longer than the rest of the chapters, I hope that's okay. After this there is one more chapter following season 3B then I'm going off on my own. The chapters might stay longer as well, if that's okay. I seemed to just write longer chapters with this story but if you guys want the shorter chapters I can try to cut them up, just let me know. Also, I won't be around an internet connection until Thursday and I'll be moving so the next update might be a little late, bare with me please! And thank you so much for the reviews, keep them up they make my day and encourage me to write more! So thank you for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	5. Chapter 5

**Protector**

He wouldn't do it. He couldn't do it. "No, I won't. That doesn't even make sense." Stiles struggled against his own body. He didn't remember getting up or driving to the hospital but he stood on the roof with a pair of heavy duty plyers ready to cut through electrical wire. "Why would I do that?"

"To test him, can your alpha still use you as an anchor when you've killed so many? When you've hurt those he cares about? Can you be his anchor when you're the monster he's fighting against? Can he still be a useful alpha when his anchor is lost to him? Or will pure chaos erupt?" A voice laughed deep within Stiles' mind.

Struggling with all he had Stiles' managed to pull his hands away before the final cut could be made. "No! No, I won't. I can't…no…" He backed away, putting the tools up and looked around at the town from the top of the building. "I have to get away. I have to protect them." He clenched his fists into his chest, feeling overwhelmed with anxiety and fear.

"Do you really think you can protect them from yourself?" The voice hissed in his ear.

Without thinking, Stiles began to climb down the fire escape on the side of the building. "I'll protect them or die trying." He closed his eyes and started running so the voice wouldn't see where he was going. He had to hide himself. He had to protect them…

Scott's heart was beating out of his chest. There was something wrong with Stiles. He didn't know where he was. Stiles needed help. Scott needed to find his best friend. "Stiles, why are you whispering?" There were a lot of disturbing things said as Stiles tried to ramble through things that could help Scott find him but his low voice was pleading for help was the most disturbing, not the words of it being cold and dark and his leg bleeding.

But Stiles' whispered words, "Because I think there's someone in here with me." Sent chills down Scott's spine. He needed to find his friend fast. If the elements or blood loss didn't kill Stiles then someone else could. And the line went dead.

A part of him wanted to keep his promise but he knew he needed to call the sheriff, Lydia was right. Stiles was having some kind of break, hopefully something not related to the sacrifice or everything else going on in their lives that wasn't natural. It needed to be something fixable. Sleepwalking can be fixed, right? But what about the string tied in crazily in his room and his little break at the school a few days ago… No he can't think about that. He just needs to find Stiles.

Complete fear. Stiles hadn't even felt this afraid when they went after Peter, Gerard, the Kanima, or the Darach. None of those were as scary as this. Sitting on cold concrete in the dark, bleeding, and completely alone was the worst thing to ever happen to Stiles. He didn't even know where he was and his phone was dying. He could only pray that Scott and the others would find him. Jeez, how could he let it get this bad? He even went to the hospital…

But he had ten fingers and ten toes and his ankle was caught in a trap. He was caught in a trap. He was going to die down here if no one found him soon. If not from the cold or blood loss then from whoever was taunting him. Seeing the chalk drawing a backwards five brought back a memory he could barely reach. "Who are you?" It only made the fear worse. "Self." As the five disappeared deep down Stiles knew. If this wasn't the Nogitsune then he was going to die anyways.

Seeing the sheriff so unnerved and on the verge of tears, unnerved Scott. He couldn't stand seeing the man like that. He wanted to help, do something more. But there was nothing at the hospital that he could find. He closed his eyes and focused on the smell that he knew as Stiles. He thought it would lead him to the basement but surprisingly he found himself heading to the roof where he found Derek. "He's not here, not anymore." He wasn't at the hospital anymore.

Scott walked up to Derek, taking in the disturbing scents surrounding him. "Notice how strong the scent is up here?" Derek asked him. "Ever hear of chemo signals?" This would be when Scott turned to Stiles for an answer, but Stiles wasn't here. "Chemical signals that communicate emotion. And just our sweat can give off anger, fear, or disgust. Take a deep breath and tell me what you feel."

Taking a deeper breath, Scott felt it all. "Stress."

"And Anxiety."

"What was he doing up here?"

"I don't know. But there was definitely some kind of struggle." Derek's statement threw Scott off. He didn't want to think about Stiles fighting with anyone. He just wanted Stiles safe again.

Trying to pick up on another scent but failing Scott had to ask. "With who?"

The answer only deepened Scott's concern. "Himself." There really was something wrong with Stiles, and something that Scott might not be able to fix.

Stiles was beginning to think he was really going to die there, his phone completely dead, his ankle no longer hurting, his body stopped shaking. "Who's there? Who are you?" Stiles felt like he was losing it. He knew yelling would get him nowhere but he wasn't getting anywhere any other way.

The other man just started to speak in Japanese.

"What?"

And the Japanese started again.

"I don't, I don't understand." Stiles didn't care that he was crying at this point. He just wanted to go home and be in his safe, warm bed. He wanted this all to be a dream. He just wanted to wake up. He wanted to go back to be normal, at least as normal as he ever was.

Finally the bandaged man spoke English. "Not who are you, Stiles. Who are we?" But he still was making no sense at all. "It's getting colder, Stiles." He didn't need this guy telling him that, he could feel it. "Did you notice that we've stopped shivering?" Of course he noticed, it was his body after all. "Do you know why that's a bad sign?"

And of course Stiles knew that was a bad sign. "It's the body trying to conserve energy. It was my fifth grade science report." He always had been a bit of a morbid kid. "Hypothermia." But he never thought some school report would be used in his real life, especially not that one.

"Our speech is starting to thicken." There he goes with the obvious. "Then comes fatigue." Stiles was already feeling that one. "Confusion." There was enough confusion before the hypothermia. "We're going to die if we don't get out of here." That really bothered Stiles. This guy didn't seemed like he was trapped, he could leave and find help but no he was keeping him and Stiles trapped here.

Or did this guy really think they were the same person or something? Either way, it really was getting on Stiles' nerves. "Stop saying that. Stop saying we."

But he wouldn't stop. "We're just trying to keep you from freezing to death. You better get up, Stiles."

That really bothered Stiles. "How? There's a freaking steel-jawed trap on my leg!"

It was just a whisper. "Is there?" It made Stiles want to start bawling. This guy was messing with his head. Stiles just wanted to go home. "Notice something different? It was on your right leg before, wasn't it?" No, no that couldn't be right. He was just messing with Stiles. He had to be.

"No, no…"

Whispered words of doubt. "Are you sure?" And the trap moved legs.

"What is this? What are you doing?" Stiles let all reason leave his mind. He didn't know what was going on or how it was happening but he wanted out.

"We're trying to save you, Stiles. We're trying to save your life." That couldn't be true. No, this was just some mind game of the person or the thing that had taken him. Or maybe he really was still dreaming. Either way, Stiles was in real trouble. He needed help right away. He wasn't going to survive this without someone coming to save him.

When Stiles wasn't in the basement of Eichen House Scott felt his heart drop. "Lydia?" How could she be wrong? Lydia Martin is never wrong, as Stiles is always reminding him. And it was getting later, colder. They needed to find him. Even the sheriff was losing it, yelling at teens. For a second Scott could swear he smelt Stiles, or a part of Stiles there in that basement, but he wasn't there not really at least. Something weird was going on, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Again with the chalk drawing a backwards five gnawing at some forgotten memory in Stiles' head. "You don't understand, do you?" The man kept taunting him. Stiles was really starting to feel awful, like he might actually die there. "It's a riddle." He was using everything in him just to stay awake and pay attention to the bandaged man. "Do you know any riddles, Stiles?" The question scratched his brain.

His voice broken, Stiles replied. "A few."

"What gets bigger the more you take away?"

"A hole."

"What gets wetter the more it dries?" A riddle from when he was a kid.

"A towel." Stiles tried to make himself more aware.

The game began to become more serious though with the next riddle. "What do you throw out when you want to use it, but take it when you don't want to use it?"

"An anchor."

But this was one he wasn't prepared for. "When is a door not a door?"

Stiles was almost afraid to answer. It was all beginning to come together in his mind, clicking into place for him. "When it's a jar." He wanted to curl into a ball and forget the man on the other side of the room. Stiles hadn't closed the door like he thought he had. Or maybe he just closed it too late.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?"

He was so tired, cold, lost, and scared. "I don't…" Stiles couldn't think. This was all just too much for him. Now he knew this was all in his head. He knew this was something scarier than he originally thought. He couldn't think about anymore riddles. He didn't know this one either. How can someone with hypothermia be expected to think?

But the man wasn't giving up. "Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it, Stiles?" He was creeping closer, closer than Stiles wanted him to be.

"I don't…" Stiles tried to get his thoughts together. "I don't know."

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it." He whispered more Japanese as he came closer and closer. "What is it?"

Stiles had had enough. "I don't know."

The bandaged face and metal teeth were right in his face. "Come on, you know!"

Then he was being pulled by his hurt leg, reaching for anything to stop him. "No! No!" He didn't know where the man would take him, but it couldn't be anywhere good. "No, no, no, wait!" He kept yelling for him to stop, to wait, hoping to get out of this situation. Stiles reached for anything and everything, trying to save his own life. He began to think no one would save him. He was going to die here because of a being with metal teeth and riddles.

But just as he thought it was all over, when he thought he was going to die, he heard a familiar voice. He heard someone he didn't expect to hear in this situation. Not to be over dramatic but it almost sounded like an angel in the darkness, breaking through his fear. "Stiles! Stiles, you're all right! Okay! You're alright." It was Melissa. "Stiles, you're alright." But was he alright? What the hell just happened?

The car ride to the hospital was quiet other than Melissa's whispered words of comfort. They didn't really comfort Stiles though because there was another voice echoing in his head, causing him to cry and shake against Melissa who held him tight in the backseat. "It's going to be alright Stiles, just hold on. You're going to be alright." Her words seemed like lies as another voice kept whispering a riddle over and over as it laughed. "You're okay Stiles, it is okay."

Stiles shook his head and buried his face into Melissa's shoulder. "No, no, no, it's not alright. Everyone has it but no one can lose it. What is it?" He whispered, his throat hurting a little.

"You know the answer isn't an anchor, Stiles. Those can be lost so easily." A voice taunted, causing Stiles to grip onto Melissa even tighter. "What happens when Scott loses another anchor? Do you think he'll turn into Peter? Do you think his pack will turn on him? Do you want to find out Stiles? So many questions and you can't answer a simple riddle. Answer the riddle Stiles. Answer it!"

"No!" Stiles yelled into Melissa's shoulder as more tears fell down his face. "No, no, no." He just kept repeating that word over and over until they got the hospital and he was sedated, sending him into the last place he wanted to be.

"He's sleeping now. And he's just fine." The sheriff's words sent a wave of relief over Scott. When he got the call that they found Stiles, his heart finally started to beat normally again. "He doesn't remember much. It's a bit like a dream to him."

Even though he didn't want to Scott had to leave. He wondered through the school halls waiting for a text from Deaton, his mind completely consumed by Stiles. Scott wanted to help Stiles but he didn't know what to do. He couldn't help but think of Stiles' mom…he didn't want that for Stiles. He knew how afraid Stiles was of that disease. He couldn't wait until after school when he could see Stiles again.

Running into the hospital room, his mom and the sheriff were already there. Stiles was coming out of the bathroom, adjusting the hospital gown over a pair of sweat pants. Stiles looked so down, so beaten. His eyes had dark circles, looking tired and terrified. His skin was paler than usual. But the worst was that his smile, his happiness was gone. Stiles wasn't that go-lucky kid anymore. He looked beaten down and resigned to the bad cards he was dealt. Then there was that smell, that something following around in Stiles' air that had been bothering Scott for a while. "Hey." Scott tried to smile.

With a small jump Stiles looked up at his friend, who he hadn't noticed entering the room. "Um, hey, I'm about to go for some tests." Stiles sat back down on the bed, looking as though walking and holding himself up was just too much for his body to handle. "You don't have to stay for that."

Scott crossed the room and sat down next to his friend on the bed. "I'm not leaving you Stiles. I'll be here every step of the way, no matter what it is." He tried to give his friend another comforting smile but Stiles just kept his eyes on the floor.

The sick teen looked like he might say something more but a nurse came in with a wheelchair, ready to take Stiles to the MRI. Even though he argued, Stiles had to sit in the chair as everyone else followed them down the hallway. When they got there the nurse and Scott helped Stiles up onto the MRI table while Melissa and the sheriff turned to talk to the doctor which had just arrived. "Just call him Stiles." The sheriff's voice brought Scott's attention to the rest of the room.

The doctor turned to the boys at the MRI. "Okay. Stiles, just to warn you, you're going to hear a lot of noise during the MRI. It's due to pulses of electricity going through metal coils inside the machine." The doctor explained and Scott almost wanted to laugh. He was sure Stiles already knew all of this. If Stiles had been more himself he would have jumped in with a more thorough explanation but there was only silence. "Uh, if you want we can get you earplugs or headphones."

"Oh, no, no, I don't need anything." Stiles' voice sounded tired but maybe a little less scared.

The sheriff spoke up. "Hey, we're just on the other side of that window." He tried to sound strong and reassuring but he looked just as afraid as Stiles, if not more. It had to be hard to go through all of this a second time with his son. "Okay?"

"Okay." Stiles must have sensed the struggle the sheriff was feeling and gave the man a comforting pat on the shoulder. Scott almost smiled at that. Even though Stiles was the one sick and scared and going through something no one can explain he was comforting his father. Once they were gone though, Stiles let his head fall. He didn't have to be brave for Scott and Scott didn't have to be brave for him. They could be scared together. "You know what they're looking for, right?" Scott nodded to Stiles question but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. It was always Stiles' job to say things, even the tough stuff. "It's called frontotemporal dementia. Areas of your brain start to shrink." As Stiles explained Scott couldn't help but look up at him. Scott never knew what it was called or what it exactly did. He only knew how it changed Claudia, how it took her away, and the sadness it brought to a broken family. "It's what my mother had. It's the only form of dementia that can hit teenagers. And there's no cure." Those words hit hard. No cure, no hope.

Scott couldn't stop the tear that fell but he quickly wiped it away. He couldn't have tears running down his face when he offered this solution, the only solution he knew. "Stiles, if you have it, we'll do something. I'll do something." He looked right at Stiles to let him know, so he'll understand what exactly he meant. And then he hugged him. He didn't care if hugging was unmanly or whatever, this was his best friend and he could be dying. He was going to hug him.

"Okay Stiles this is going to take about 45 minutes to an hour." Stiles heard the doctor as he was slid into the machine, his family all gone from the room now. "Now remember, try not to move." A request that was seemingly impossible. Not only had he just woken up from a sedated nap where he was forced not to move and gain some energy but he's never been still a moment in his life. He couldn't help but squirm just a bit. "Even just a little bit." Well damn… "Stiles, you're going to hear that noise now." He didn't want to hear that noise. He didn't want to be in this situation. "It's going to be a loud clanging. Kind of like a hammer hitting an anvil." And it started. That's when he felt his mind starting to slip again, his body starting to feel less like his own. He wanted to throw up.

Then came the waiting. Scott had to sit in the waiting room waiting for the results that determined Stiles' fate. But Scott was surprised when Derek showed up, telling Scott there was something they needed to talk about. Derek explained that Stiles had the Nogitsune inside of him. A part of Scott wanted to argue, say it wasn't possible and Stiles was too innocent. But another part of him was relieved. If that's what's wrong then he could fix this, it wasn't like the dementia.

No matter what was going on with Stiles, Scott was just happy he didn't have to go through this wait alone. Having his anchor so upset and vulnerable like this was making him anxious. So he was happy for the company. "You know the stuff you were telling me about chemo signals earlier? It reminded me of the time you were teaching me to use anger to control the shift."

Derek smirked just a bit at the memory. Scott wanted to smirk too, that's when they had discovered anchors well when Stiles discovered anchors. "I think you ended up teaching me more about that." At least Derek was willing to admit it, even if it wasn't to Stiles. "Stiles taught us all something."

"Are you teaching me again?" Scott couldn't help but ask, he sure Stiles would ask if he was sitting with them. Or he would make some comment about how Derek shouldn't try to teach anyone because he sucks at it or something.

But Derek's response wasn't what he expected. "Think of it more like sharing a few trade secrets." Did that make them equals now? And more importantly, did that mean Derek would start sharing secrets with Stiles that would answer all of his questions? "You know, I took Cora back to South America, right? It's where she spent most of her time after the fire. But that's not the only reason I left." So Stiles was right, there was more to Derek's little vacation. "I needed to talk to my mother."

Whoa, what? "Your dead mother?" Oh how Scott wished Stiles was here for all of this.

But Derek went on like this was no big deal. "She told me something that changed my perspective on a lot of things. She said my family didn't just live in Beacon Hills. They protected it. This town needs someone to protect it. Someone like you." That was a lot Derek was putting on him. Could he do it without Stiles? "And someone like Stiles to help you." It was like Derek knew Stiles was Scott's new anchor. Or maybe he always knew that kid kept Scott grounded.

"And someone like you to teach me a few trade secrets." Wait, protecting…something clicked in Scott's mind. "He was trying to protect us." He knew his best friend. Even if he was possessed, Stiles would try his hardest to protect his friends. "Stiles was protecting us."

Derek leaned forward as it was clicking for him too. "From himself." The two jumped up and ran to the roof where they had smelt so much stress, anxiety, and struggle from Stiles before. "What are we looking for?" Derek let the younger wolf take the lead.

"I'm not sure." Scott searched frantically. "But I think Stiles wasn't just up here struggling with himself. I think he was struggling not to do something." And that's when he found it: the ominous tools and the half broken wire.

The loud noises just got worse and worse as the terrible feeling of dread continued to fill Stiles' body. He wanted to get out now. He didn't think he could take it much longer. And the noises just seemed to be getting louder and louder. He squeezed his eyes shut hoping for some escape, at least some way to keep himself from crying. But when he opened his eyes he was no longer lying in the MRI but standing up by the window looking at the bandaged man again.

The man creeped around the room. "Have you figured out my riddle yet?" He walked around the MRI, keeping Stiles from getting a close look at him or attacking. Stiles wasn't scared, lost, and hurt this time. "If you answer correctly, we might consider letting them go."

This man just wasn't making any sense. "Letting who go?"

"Your friends. Your family. Everyone who ever meant something to you. Everyone who ever meant something to Scott. We're going to destroy all of them, Stiles. One-by-one." His words were vicious, coming through metal fangs.

Stiles couldn't help the tears that fell down his face. "Why?"

Again, that stupid riddle came back. "Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?" It turned to look at him.

"I don't know." Stiles honestly didn't know. He was too focused on the fact that everyone he cared about was going to die. That was very distracting information.

"Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?"

"I don't know."

The man started to tear his bandages away as he yelled the riddle this time. "Everyone has it, but no one can lose it. What is it?" Stiles had to turn away from him and as if he were a little kid again Stiles put his hands over his ears hoping it would all just go away. "What is it?"

Having enough of it, Stiles yelled back this time. "I don't know!" But he did know. As he realized this he let his hands fall, shocked at the revelation. It couldn't be.

A whispering, familiar voice asked, "What is it, Stiles?" And he knew.

He actually knew the answer to the riddle. "A shadow." His voice was just a whisper. Stiles was afraid to turn around. But he knew he had to. He had to see. And when he did turn he saw the worse version of himself staring back, the eyes just not quite right.

When they woke up, he wasn't the one in control anymore. He wasn't the one who crawled from the MRI, walked confidently down the hallway, changed his clothes, or even tied his shoes. Something else was moving him and he could do nothing, not even call out. He only watched as Kira's mom stood in the elevator facing him.

The woman stood strong and unwavering against the monster Stiles had become. "You know me." He simply nodded in reply to her. "Then you remember that I won't be deterred by your choice of host. Even if it's an innocent boy." She gave Stiles a little bit of hope. Maybe she could take him down before anyone else had to.

But the monster inside him didn't seem concerned. "Are you threatening us?" And he only raised his eyebrows when the Oni appeared, still no fear.

"Now I'm threatening you."

The masks would have scared Stiles, or given hope that the nightmare would end but a memory from the hospital basement came to mind and he knew the monster inside wasn't afraid of bugs. "We're not really afraid of your little fireflies." He was too strong. He started to just walk away.

But she wasn't letting him go away without one last warning. "If the Oni can't defeat you, I know someone who will."

The monster barely gave her a side glance before walking off. Stiles struggled in his hold. "Scott will defeat you. He will protect everyone we care about. I know him. He won't let anything happen to them. He saves people."

The monster smiled. "That's what I'm counting on."

/I'm so sorry for the long wait! I hope the extra, extra long chapter makes up for it? I've already started on the next chapter so I'm hoping that it won't be too long before I update again but between school and work things can get crazy. Also, starting next chapter I'll be going away from what's actually in the show and breaking off on my own to take the story in a different direction so there's that. I hope you guys like it. But thank you so much for reading, please review and give feedback, and have a great day!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chaos Begins**

Everything had fallen to chaos since Stiles disappeared. Scott couldn't believe it. Isaac was hurt, really hurt and he wasn't healing like a werewolf should. He didn't know what would happen. Stiles was supposed to help Scott protect the pack, keep it safe and strong, not hurt it. But Scott had to remind himself that this wasn't Stiles, that Stiles wasn't the one who hurt Isaac and all of the people at the hospital. It was the Nogitsune, not Stiles. Stiles needed saving.

But Scott was feeling on edge and uneasy. He couldn't just close his eyes and focus to find his anchor. He could only use his memories and what was left of Stiles' scent. Scott was currently sitting in Stiles' bedroom inhaling the comfort when the sheriff walked in, only slightly startled. "Scott, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital visiting Isaac?"

"Allison is with him." Scott shrugged his shoulders, trying not to think about all of the people hurt from the accident at the hospital. "I just…I needed to get a better scent. But the new scent, you know? The Nogitsune it's been faint, but there was an additional scent to him. I keep thinking maybe I'll be able to find him if I can memorize this new scent. Maybe I could…" Scott didn't know what to say or what he was trying to say. He just wanted Isaac better and Stiles to come back so he could save him.

The sheriff came into the room, looking sadly at the bed. "Do you think you can find him?" He looked so broken. Stiles was everything to the sheriff, all he had left. "We hit the 48 hour mark, you've been around Stiles and me enough to know what that means. But, it's Stiles."

Scott nodded. "Sheriff, have you ever heard of a Nogitsune?" He looked carefully at the sheriff who was looked at a chess board and shaking his head, 'no'. "It's kind of this dark spirit, a dark kitsune. It's something that wants to cause chaos, strife, and pain. Usually they are just big tricksters that don't care about right or wrong but we think someone wronged this one. And this Nogitsune, it has possessed Stiles." Scott looked up from the floor to the confused Stilinski.

"The MRI…"

"I think that's a trick. I think it was a way to scare us and Stiles, you know, make it easier to get inside his head. If he has no hope then…I don't know. But I'm going to save him. I promise, I'll save him." Scott meant it to. He couldn't do all of this without his best friend.

The last two days have been a blur, like a bad dream that you forget as soon as you wake up. All he does remember is fear, pain, and struggle. Stiles just wanted it to be over. "Please…" He started to beg again when he realized that he had actually spoken. He sat up, ignoring the pain as he realized that he was in control. He could move his body again. He struggled to his feet before looking around the woods. Weirdly enough he knew where he was at, which was not too far from the Hale home.

Limping up to the house Stiles started to call out. "Is somebody there? Please let somebody be there." Stiles barely made it to the front steps before falling down. "Hey! Somebody!"

"Stiles?" A smug voice came from inside the house.

In any other situation Stiles would not have been relieved to hear that voice, in fact he would have been upset or creeped out. But today, here and now, he was happy. Stiles lifted his head up with all the energy he had left. "Peter, thank god."

Peter came out of the house caring a wooden box. "Well that's a first." He stared at the boy suspiciously. "Everyone is looking for you, you know? Everyone is looking for that tricky little fox that's been causing Beacon Hills a lot of problems. Who's to say you aren't the fox right now? Maybe I should just do everyone a favor and…"

"Peter." A deep voice from the other side of the porch interrupted him. "Stiles, is that you?" Derek stepped forward. He came here looking for his uncle, hoping to get some help in his search for Stiles. But he found Stiles right there on the front porch.

Stiles let out a breath and let his head fall. "I swear it's me, really me. I don't know where I've been the past two days or what I've done. But it's me." He looked up at the older wolf. "I need to find Scott. I think the Nogitsune wants something from him."

"Isn't that a good reason to keep you away from Scott?" Derek cautiously stepped forward, looking the boy over. "Stiles, you don't look too good."

A broken laugh fell out of Stiles' mouth. "Thanks Derek, you look good too. Please, just take me home. I need a shower and some caffeine pills or something. I can't fall asleep. He might take over again if I fall asleep. He always comes back when I sleep. If you could steal some adrenaline from the hospital, that'd be great." Stiles tried to push himself up but failed miserably.

Derek caught the boy before he could fall on the stairs. "It's okay Stiles, I'll take you to Deaton." Before leaving, the dark-haired man looked back at his uncle. "And don't think I don't know you're up to something. This is just more important at the moment." He ignored his uncle's raised hands and faked innocence as he helped Stiles into his SUV and got in himself. "Do you think you can make it to the vet clinic? I don't have anything to keep you awake."

With anxiety starting to build Stiles turned to Derek. "Hit me."

Raising his eyebrows Derek shook his head. "No, Stiles, you look like you just went ten rounds with a heavy weight champion. I'm not going to hit you." He went to start his car when a pale and shaky hand grabbed his. "Stiles…"

"Please, just a slap or something every few minutes to keep me awake. Or you could bury your claws into my arm or something. Please, you have to keep me awake." The teen begged, looking so desperate and afraid.

Derek turned slightly in his seat. "Okay, this is pay back for slapping me awake earlier this year." He gave half a smirk and Stiles seemed to relax, smiling as well. "Alright, on one two," And slap before he could get to three, causing Stiles to jump as the calloused hand violently hit his face. "Is that any better?" Derek hoped he wouldn't have to hit the boy again.

Blinking Stiles still felt the tired effects. "No, you have to hit me harder." Stiles stopped Derek before he could protest. "Derek, you slammed me into countless walls and let's not forget that you forced my face into the steering wheel one day when all I was trying to do was be helpful…" Before Stiles could really start his rant a clawed hand was gripping deep into his thigh, causing him to gasp in pain. It hurt like a mother but it also brought adrenaline pumping through his body. "Now that, that worked." Stiles smiled before putting his hand over the puncture wounds Derek's hand left behind.

Feeling a little guilty Derek put his car in drive and took off, hoping he wouldn't have to do that again during the drive. "Alright Stiles, just stay awake."

Stiles pressed into his wound, focusing on the pain to keep himself awake. "So, what's been going on while I've been gone? Nothing too bad I hope." Stiles leaned his head against the window, watching the familiar scenery pass him by.

Not really wanting to be the one to break the news to Stiles, Derek shrugged his shoulders. "Let's not focus on that right now. Let's just get you to Deaton's and hope we can figure this all out. I'll call your dad…"

"No!" Stiles jumped, feeling even more awake. "You can't call my dad. If you call him then…you just can't, okay? Just get me to Deaton's, lock me up, and do whatever it takes to keep me, me."

The rest of the ride was done in silence, Derek having to reach over only once more to inflict another wound to keep Stiles awake. When they finally made it to the vet's Derek sighed in relief as he rushed over to help Stiles out of the SUV. "Come on." He helped the teen into the back of the building, calling out to the vet as they went. "Deaton! Deaton, I need help!"

The vet put down the needle he was about to inject into a collie when he heard the werewolf and went to the back, showing actual shock at the sight. "Derek? Stiles?"

"It's him. Help me put him on a table or something." Derek felt the younger teen going slack so he just picked him up. "He's hurt pretty bad but he has to stay awake to keep the Nogitsune away. Can you give him something? Maybe epinephrine or something? Also, he will probably need stitches on his thigh. I'm not sure about his other injuries." Derek set the pale teen down on a metal table. "That cut on his head looks pretty nasty too."

Stiles giggled a little. "Listen to you being all concerned." He turned his head to look at the vet. "You need to chain me down or put mountain ash around me or something. I can't guarantee that I can keep it away. I don't know how I even came to the surface. I just…" Stiles pushed a finger into one of the gashes on his leg. "I need to keep him away long enough for you guys to think of something, right?"

The vet turned to Derek sharing a concerned glare before turning to Stiles. "I have a plant that should keep the Nogitsune from surfacing but it will only last for a few days. I'm sorry Stiles." Deaton came forward with a syringe. "This is going to burn when it goes in. You're going to be in some pain for a while until the Nogitsune is controlled. It would be best if you slept during that time." He saw the worry and anxiety start to build in the teen. "But I can try to keep you comfortable if you chose not to."

Stiles nodded and gripped the table, feeling a little surprised when Derek came up to take his hand. "I can help too." Derek said in a monotone voice, trying to remain stoic and emotionless. Stiles just nodded and held onto Derek as if his life depended on it.

Then the needle sank into his skin, causing his veins to feel as though they were on fire spreading the flame through his body before finally settling in his limps as a numb pain. Stiles knew he needed a distraction. He turned to Derek and used all the strength he had to talk. "Tell me what's happened while I was gone. I need to know, and I need a distraction from the pain. Please."

Reluctantly Derek nodded. "Eleven people are dead Stiles. It was the Nogitsune."

"You mean it was me." Stiles felt a tear fall down his face, suddenly feeling as though he deserved every bit of pain he was getting now. "I killed eleven people in the past two days." He closed his eyes for only a few seconds before feeling Derek squeeze on his hand a bit. Stiles opened his eyes back up, trying not to focus on the pain. "Who did I kill?"

Derek looked at Deaton, who was stitching Stiles up. "A few nurses, a doctor, a retired teacher, um a woman…I'm sorry I don't remember their names." Honestly, he remembered most of them. He remembered Scott crying for each one. Each and every victim was someone that meant something to Scott. But Derek didn't want to say that, Stiles was in enough pain for now. "Maybe we should talk about something else to distract that busy mind of yours."

Stiles caught on to what Derek was doing though. "They were people close to Scott." Stiles tried not to cry. What would Scott think of him now? "How is the pack doing?" The instant flinch from Derek let Stiles know someone was hurt because of Stiles. "Who did I hurt?"

"Isaac. The cut electric wire at the hospital…" Derek stopped as he noticed Stiles' heartrate begin to pick up and his breathing increase. "Stiles calm down, it's okay. No one blames you."

"I do." Stiles' voice was a whisper.

Almost forgotten in the room, Deaton spoke up surprising the two boys. "You can't control what he does Stiles. The Nogitsune is an unspeakable evil, a being whose sole purpose is to create chaos. And you, my friend, have the misfortune to be the current face he's wearing." Deaton finished his work. "That doesn't make you him. That doesn't make you chaos. And it most definitely doesn't make you evil. You're still on the good side Stiles. You just have to be patient and trust your pack."

Stiles nodded, still not comforted but too guilty to let them try anymore. "How's Scott doing? I mean, with everyone dying and knowing I did it?"

"He's convinced you didn't kill them. Like I said, no one blames you. He's still trying to find you. He skipped school to find you Stiles. Him and the sheriff…" Derek was stopped by a hand gripping the front of his shirt.

Stiles pulled on Derek's shirt in desperation. "My dad? He…you can't let him be a part of this! You can't let him even look for me! It's too dangerous. You have to, I don't know, get him out of here. Maybe have Scott take him somewhere. Then they will both be far away from me. Melissa can go with them. Or maybe…" Stiles looked over at Deaton. "If you kill me, will that kill this thing?"

Deaton shook his head. "No, he'd either continue to use your body or he would just move on. It's easier to kill a Nogitsune if it's attached to a body. As awful as it sounds, having the Nogitsune trapped in your body could be a good thing." Deaton took a step away from the table. "I think you should call Scott. He needs to know that you are okay. He can help watch over you while I go see a, uh, friend of mine about our little problem."

The other two stared at each other, unsure if that was a wise choice. "Maybe he's right. I'm sure Scott could keep you awake better than I could. At the very least he could get drugs from his mom. I think it would do him some good to see you as you instead of that monster." The last word made Stiles flinch but he nodded anyways. "I'll call him. Stay here." Derek let go of Stiles and left the room to call Scott.

Once Derek was gone Stiles turned to Deaton with a sick look on his face. "How much longer is this going to hurt this much?" Stiles curled in on himself. As much as the pain sucked, he was almost happy for it. The pain kept him awake, it kept him from thinking about all of the things he'd done, and most of all it kept the guilt at bay.

"Everything I have would make you sleepy." Deaton gave the boy a sympathetic look. "Hopefully it won't be too painful for much longer." The bald man sighed and took a step forward. "Stiles, do you remember anything from the past two days? Even if it wasn't what the Nogitsune was doing."

Stiles looked down at his hands as images flashed in his mind. "I can remember bits and pieces of what he did, but none of it is detailed. It's like he wanted me to see it, the blood on my hands. But other than that I couldn't see anything from the outside world. He'd just play memories in my head and then messed with them."

"What do you mean?"

The boy shrugged. "It's like the memory of how I met Scott. It was playing out like it really happened but then…I don't know, it changed. It was like we weren't real friends. And then there were memories of different times with Scott and they were all messed up. It was like our friendship was all messed up. And…and I wasn't his anchor. I ruined it. Scott hated me and he should hate me."

Deaton put a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "He doesn't hate you. There's nothing in the world you could do to make him hate you. There isn't enough chaos." The man smiled. "He wouldn't be the alpha he is today without you, he knows that. You two have gotten through enough, you'll make it through this. I have faith in the two of you. You share a strong bond, brothers in more than just blood."

A little confused, Stiles looked up. "What do you mean?"

"Most brothers are only brothers because of their blood. You two are brothers because you love and care for each other. That bond is stronger than blood. That is something the Nogitsune doesn't know yet but will learn. He's trying to separate you two. I think he's interested in your anchor link. Many alphas go crazy without an anchor, it's even worse when that anchor is taken from them. I've never seen a true alpha lose an anchor though. I'm sure the Nogitsune is hoping for…"

"Pure chaos and destruction." Stiles gave a weak smile. "I hope he's wrong."

A few hours later Deaton was off to find his "friend" and Scott was sprinting through the door to see his best friend. "Stiles!" Scott rushed to the metal table to stand by his friend's side. "You're okay." He let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Yeah, Deaton gave me some stuff to keep the Nogitsune at bay." Stiles kept his eyes on his hands, afraid to look at Scott who was urging to hug his friend. "Scott, who did I…I mean…who died? Derek couldn't give me specifics. I just…"

"Some of the nurses that used to make a point in talking to me when I came to visit mom at the hospital, you know the ones. There was Dr. Handler, the one who mom dated for a while that I really liked. He used to toss the lacrosse ball back and forth with me, remember? Then there was my favorite teacher from fifth grade, Ms. Hansen. And uh, Cheryl Thompson…" Scott had to wipe away a tear. "You remember her, my old babysitter. So yeah, I've been to a few funerals lately." Scott kept his voice light, to let Stiles know he didn't blame him but he knew Stiles needed to know.

Stiles nodded. "I killed them."

"No, that thing killed them." Scott put a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying not to be offended when Stiles' flinched just the slightest bit. "I don't blame you Stiles. He's using you, your memories, to get to me. He wants me to freak out or I don't know, something. But I'm not going to fall for it. You're my best friend and I'm going to save you. I promise." His eyes never left the eyes of his best friend.

The three of them sat there trying to talk strategy for another few hours when Stiles sat up straight and flung his legs off the side of the metal table. "Maybe we should get the whole pack together. The more brains we have working on this the better." He started to jump off the table when Derek stopped him. "What? I'm fine. It doesn't hurt anymore."

The werewolves shared a glance and Scott tuned his hearing to Stiles' heart, hearing the normally fast-paced and quirky beat an eerily steady drum. "Stiles, are you sure you're okay?" Scott could tell there was something different about his friend. The smell of guilt, pain, and worry was slowly fading and was gradually being replaced by something else, something Scott couldn't place. "Maybe we should call Deaton, get another one of those shots or something."

"Derek, can I talk to Scott alone?" Stiles looked nervously between the wolves, rubbing a hand over the back of his head. He waited patiently as the two werewolves looked at each other until Scott gave a slightly nod and Derek left the room a little reluctantly. Once they were fully alone Stiles stood up and popped his neck. "Well that didn't take you long. I guess my plans will have to change. You see, I was hoping that I could pretend to be this little lanky spaz for just long enough to cause a little chaos with the pack." Stiles smiled a smile that was unlike any smile Stiles had even shown before.

Scott felt his wolf coming to the surface. "How long have you been in control?"

"Only until just now, don't worry you know your friend."

Claws slowly coming out Scott tried to stay calm so he wouldn't claw-up his own friend's face. "I thought that Deaton gave Stiles something to keep you away for a few days. How did you come back?" Scott just had to keep the thing talking, then Derek would come back and they could chain him down until Deaton came back with a way to save Stiles.

With a smile and another bone crack (his shoulders this time) the Nogitsune scoffed. "Do you really think that could hold something like me for very long? I'm too old and too strong for something that simple. You puppies really never even had a chance. It only caused poor Stiles pain. And let me tell you, it hurt a whole lot more than he let on. It was glorious. I could feel every ounce of his misery." He closed his eyes and smiled as if reliving some happy memory. "But now it's time for the real fun."

"What are you…" Before Scott could finish his sentence the Nogitsune had his hand shoved inside Scott's abdomen. Pain erupted through his body. "Stiles, please…"

The Nogitsune laughed. "I'm sorry, Stiles can't come to the phone right now but I'll make sure he gets your very detailed message. Until then, why don't you stay out of my way while I finish the next little game I have set up for you?" He pulled his hand free from Scott, letting the wolf fall to the floor while he walked across the room. "You're just going to take a nice little nap." The monster disguised as Stiles walked over to a bunch of little jars sitting on shelves. He picked up a jar with blood-colored liquid and went back to Scott, kneeling on the floor. "When you wake up, you won't be calling out for your friend here. You'll be screaming his name, wanting revenge." With that, he opened the bottle and let the liquid drop into the large wound. "Nighty, night, wolf." And everything goes black for Scott.

After a few minutes Derek was surprised to see Stiles come stumbling out of the vet clinic. "Is everything okay?" Even though he had tried, Derek hadn't been able to hear anything. He hadn't even been able to hear or smell Stiles come out. "Stiles?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, I just don't know if I should be around Scott right now. Do you think maybe you could take me back to your place? Maybe you could call more of the pack over and all of you could watch me, make sure that…you know." He put on his best sad face.

The older wolf nodded. "Yeah, we can head back to the loft. I'll call everyone."

As soon as the dark-haired man turned around to get out his phone the Nogitsune couldn't help but smile. Scott might not be there while it happens, but his plan was going just as it should. "Good." He slid into the car and tried to keep on the face of the scared boy screaming out him the depths of his mind. "Could we meet at your old family house instead of the loft though? I feel like it will be easier to keep me contained there. Plus it's further away from town so if it takes over again and…"

"Stiles, calm down, it's going to be okay." Derek put a hand on the kid's shoulder before turning back around to his conversation on the phone.

Once everyone was at the house, Stiles sat up from the floor in a corner of the house as everyone else continued to argue over how to handle the situation. "I'm sorry." He said, making the room go quiet as he went to the window. "Well, I'm not really sorry, but that seems like something Stiles would say." He smiled as the whole room began to understand, a few even began to turn. "It's been a nice chat but I have a plan to enact. And you know how Stiles is with his plans." The Nogitsune flipped out of the window as he finished the line of mountain ash he had created earlier that day, trapping the whole pack inside. "If you're lucky, Scott will wake up soon and come after you before coming for Stiles. But what's more important, the pack or the anchor?" He laughed before lighting the gasoline covering the house in a circle and walking off in a calm and arrogant manner that would never fit Stiles' body.

/Again I'm sorry for the long breaks between updates, school and work as that effect on my stories. Let me know what you guys think of it! Thanks for reading, please review, and have a great week!


	7. Chapter 7

**Know Thy Enemy**

His breath heavy Scott finally caught up with the Nogitsune, in a vault under the school. No one was sure how he was able to get down here or into the vault but Scott didn't really care. He just wanted this thing gone. "Why are you doing all of this?" There was a growl in Scott's voice as he walked into the vault.

"So, you saved your pack just in the nick of time, did you?" The Nogitsune stood up from where he was looking at one of the shelves and smiled. "Everyone calls you the undying supply of hope, don't they? They look at you for hope. In every situation, every dark situation, they turn to the positive Scott McCall to pull them through. But who do you turn to Scott? Who do you get your hope from?" He walked around the room, barely glancing at Scott. "Who would have guessed that you get your hope from the pessimistic Stilinski? I find that…interesting."

Scott had to take a breath to keep himself calm, feeling more out of control than ever before. "I get that you're after my anchor to make me go crazy. But why? Shouldn't you just be after chaos?"

A laugh escaped the Nogitsune as he went to another shelf. "Do you know where I come from? You should, I mean it's war 101. Know thy enemy." He looked over his shoulder at Scott. "If you're going to be an alpha you're going to have to know how to do your research. Oh wait, I guess I took your researcher away." He gave terrible smile. "Maybe I can give you a pass this one time." The Nogitsune turned back around, continuing with his work. "I came from an angry and lost Kitsune, calling for me to come seek revenge and cause some chaos when she lost her anchor. My first form was a lost anchor. Ever since I've been drawn to anchors and I find that they are the best at causing chaos."

Scott closed his eyes, remembering Stiles trying to push his way into Scott's room to help on the first full moon. And calm overtook him. "Well you've never faced a pack like mine. You underestimate us. You underestimate me. And worst of all, you underestimate Stiles." Scott reached into his back pocket. "You've never seen a friendship like ours. You've never seen a pack like mine."

The Nogitsune stopped his search of the shelves and turned to face the werewolf. "You know, I've never dealt with a true alpha before. Stiles keeps reminding me of that." He turned back around long enough to pick up a dust covered box before stepping towards Scott. "And Stiles is one interesting fellow. He's managed to get into my mind as much as I've gotten into his. I've never had anyone fight me this hard. Most fight this battle of what's real and what's a part of my game. They just slowly lose their minds. I thought it would be easier with Stiles, especially with his mom. But no, he keeps fighting saying that you're going to save him." The monster smiled. "It's almost as if you're his anchor as much as he is yours. It's…interesting. It definitely makes the game more fun for me."

Scott slowly pulled out the syringe and took a step towards the thing using Stiles as a mask. "I'm done playing your game." With werewolf speed Scott plunged the needle into Stiles' neck. The Nogitsune laughed at first and ripped his hand into Scott's chest but stopped as his veins started to turn a terrible black color. "Mistletoe." Scott managed to whisper before they both fell to the floor.

What felt like hours but was only minutes later, Derek came running into the vault, his own syringe in hand. "Scott?" He knelt by the boys seeing Scott barely keeping himself conscious as his body slowly healed. "I have the kanima venom like you asked for. Are you sure this will work on him?" He held the needle up to Stiles neck, close to where Scott had just injected the boy.

Scott slowly managed to pull himself up into a sitting position. "It has to. We need to keep him trapped and this is all I've got." He looked down at the unconscious figure and his brain almost let him believe that Stiles was just sleeping. "The mistletoe work." He smiled a little. "Lydia was right."

~(A few hours earlier)~

The smoke was beginning to be too much for everyone in the building. Derek looked frantically for his phone but there was no signal, no one had signal. The Nogitsune must have blocked their phones from getting any help. "We don't need phones, we're wolves." Derek managed to get out between coughs. With all the air he had the werewolf let out a monstrous howl, hoping Scott would hear.

Scott came to on the floor, his stomach killing him but healing. He was pulling himself up on the metal table when he heard the howl. He perked up, knowing it was Derek. Not long after he reached outside did he hear howls from the rest of his pack, as least those that could howl. Scott let his alpha wolf form take over, healing the rest of the way almost instantly, before taking off to the sound of the howls.

When he saw the house in flames his heart sank. But the line of mountain ash preventing him from running in to save anyone was what really set in the panic. Scott went to the line, knowing he had beat this once before, closed his eyes and started to fight the supernatural force. He was flung back. His pack began to whine, pulling at his heart strings. They needed him. With another deep breath Scott tried again, this time remembering only months ago when he looked to his side to see his best friend ready to sacrifice himself right alongside him. He remembered the relief when Stiles called him later that night after they had won against all odds, beating an alpha pack and a Druid all while saving their parents. He remembered Stiles' pep talk about him being a true alpha and that stupid smile of Stiles. He thought of the friend that's always there. And suddenly the force fell under his claws and he ran into the fire, helping to free his pack.

The last to be carried out was Lydia, who was on her hands and knees in the corner of the room looking at the floor intently. "Lydia, come on, we've got to go!" Scott started to grab her but she grabbed him back, forcing him to his knees. "What is it?" He worried she felt death coming.

"Look at the dust." She pointed to a message that seemed to be written in the dust, slightly distorted probably from the flames moving the dust around. "I think Stiles left us a message."

Scott used his werewolf strength to force Lydia to stand up, hearing the house's creaks becoming more dangerous. "Or it's the Nogitsune messing with us again. Come on, we don't have time for this!" Scott was coughing as he forced Lydia out of the house with the other pack mates.

"No! Scott, I'm telling you! I think Stiles managed to surface or something."

Derek shook his head, standing up now that he was recovered from the smoke. "Even if Stiles did surface, the Nogitsune would know. Why would he just leave a message there?"  
Scott hung his head between his knees taking deep breaths. "Maybe Stiles is stronger than he thought, stronger than we all thought. What did the message say Lydia?"

"Something about mistletoe, I think it might be a weakness of the Nogitsune's. And maybe something about kanima venom? That one was more unclear. But it makes sense, if we hit the thing with kanima venom at least it won't be able to move, right? We can trap it, maybe for a little while. You guys are strong and just a scratch keeps you down for quite a while. Imagine if we inject it into the blood stream. At the very least it could give us time to interrogate it until Deaton comes back. We need to know more about this thing if we're going to fight it." Lydia was the smartest one here, smartest one in Beacon Hill probably. No one could disagree. It was their only shot.

When the Nogitsune came to he was sitting on a couch, his head was lying back at a weird angle and he was unable to move. His veins still felt as if they were on fire, an after effect of the mistletoe. Little did they know he loved the pain, even the pain he was sure that was about to come, but Stiles hated every minute of it (taking the blunt of it all). "Hello?" He yelled out in a sing-song voice.

Scott, Derek, Peter, and Lydia all came into the room. "I told you, you underestimate us." Scott smiled. "Now you're going to tell us a little about yourself whether you like it or not."

The Nogitsune smiled, a true genuine smile, as if he was going to really enjoy this. "Go ahead Scotty, torture me. Dig your claws into my flesh. Oh wait, I mean Stiles' flesh. He can feel it you know." He laughed at the growls that filled the room. "Do it. Or have the creepy uncle over there do it. I'm sure he wouldn't have any qualms with ripping into this meat suit. He might even enjoy it."

The oldest in the room smirked. "Maybe I would."

"Peter." Derek's voice was a warning.

Scott remained calm, thinking of Stiles protests of just killing Jackson back sophomore year but then managing to stick to the Save Jackson plan when Scott momentarily considered the opposite. "We aren't going to torture you. We have another way." Scott looked over at Peter as the older wolf flexed out his claws. "Like an old friend once told me, we always have a Plan B." Scott stood behind the body of his friend, Lydia taking the seat by the pale boy. "I'm going to find my friend and we're going to fight you from the inside."

There was barely a scream from the chapped lips before Peter placed Scott's hands on Stiles' and Lydia's necks and everything went white for the three. It reminded Scott of when they had been sacrificed for a few seconds before he found himself struggling against restraints. "What is this?" He looked around to find himself trapped in a dark basement, tied down.

Lydia was next to him caught in a coyote trap. "Didn't Stiles say something about being trapped in a basement?" She looked around, remaining calm. "Maybe we have to relive what he was? Or maybe that's where the Nogitsune is keeping him trapped in his mind…"

Scott ripped himself from the restraints. "I can't smell anything, I can't smell Stiles. How are we supposed to find…" Scott's sentence dropped off as he finished freeing Lydia and they were standing in a field looking out on a pile of bodies being caught on fire as one mangled body pulled itself free, yelling words of revenge and laughing manically. Scott went to run to the body but as he ran, Lydia running after him, he found himself in the woods.

Spinning around Scott instantly recognized the woods. The woods him and Stiles had spent quite a bit of time in. He turned to the left. "That's where I was bitten." He walked towards the area, seeing the area in a mess as if there had been a scuffle. It looked like it did that night…

"My fault…" The voice was small and broken but Scott heard it.

Turning around Scott saw Stiles in a heap on the ground slightly rocking back and forth like a madman, holding something small in his hands. "Stiles?" He tried to call out to his friend, Lydia did as well, but Stiles didn't seem to even notice they were there. "Stiles what are you…" That's when Scott noticed that Stiles was holding Scott's old inhaler. "Stiles, hey, it's not your fault. I don't blame you."

Again the boy on the ground seemed to ignore the others. "It's all my fault. They hate me. They have to hate me. I deserve this." He wasn't crying or shaking, only speaking as if it were the clear and utter truth. But then there was a shadow with red glowing eyes moving in the background…the alpha. "I deserve to die."

"Scott do something!" Lydia yelled as they realized they couldn't run up to Stiles no matter how hard they tried. "Come on, you have to snap him out of this! You have to make him realize that isn't real and we are. You need to get his attention." Her eyes ran back and forth as she thought. "Wait, we just went through this. Today, how did Derek and everyone signal you, let you know where they were?"

Scott looked at Lydia like she was crazy. "They howled."

A smile spread on the red head's face. "That's it Scott. That's how wolves signal their pack. You have to signal Stiles. He's your pack, right?"

Nodding, smiling with the short one, Scott let his body shift into his beta form before letting out a mighty howl. "Stiles!" He called out after the howl before howling again, just to make sure.

The result was Stiles snapping his head up, looking at the two as if seeing them for the first time. Then he looked over at the alpha, which morphed into the bandage covered being he'd seen back in the basement and the MRI. "You're doing this." Stiles shook his head, trying to clear it. "This isn't real, I'm trapped in my head. Scott…"

"I'm here, I'm real buddy. You have to push this thing out." Scott took a step forward and the Nogitsune went to attack.

Before the Nogitsune could get very far Stiles grabbed it by the arm. "This isn't the real world, this is my world." Stiles flung the monster into a tree before turning to his friends, slightly shocked at what he'd just done. It must have been the presence of his friends to give him the strength he needed. His eyes went to the red head first. "You got my message." He gave soft smile as she nodded. Then he turned to Scott. "How do I push it out? How do I fix this?" He looked so desperate and so tired. "Hurry, I don't know how much time we have before he takes control again."

Lydia took several steps forward but didn't touch Stiles, still slightly afraid. "On the phone Deaton said one could separate the two souls, making the Nogitsune a shadow of its host. It's risky but it's all we've got for now. You have to push him out of your mind. I'm not sure how, Deaton said there were a lot of riddles he just couldn't unravel. Something about knowing thy enemy and…"

"I've got it." Stiles smiled. "He was created because a kitsune lost its anchor and wanted revenge. He's the absence of balance, the absence of an anchor. Right?" The others nodded at him but weren't sure where he was going with this. "Come on you guys, you don't really think someone can mess around in my head without me catching a glimpse at their mind as well, do you?" He turned to Scott putting a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Wake up and plunge your claws into my stomach."

"What?!" Scott took a step back. "You've actually lost it."

Stiles just smiled. "No, I trust you. You would never kill me Scott. And you would never turn me. I know that. I trust that. So trust me, okay? I have a plan." He winked before everything turned white again and Scott and Lydia were blinking themselves into the real world.

Lydia turned on the couch to stare at Scott as Stiles' body laid there lifeless. "Are you really going to do that Scott?" She put a hand on Stiles' arm. "You can't…"

"Do what?" Derek took a step towards the teens. "What happened in there? Is Stiles okay? Did it work?"

Scott walked slowly around the couch. "Someone call an ambulance." He waited for the beeping under Lydia's shaking fingers before plunging his clawed hand into his best friend, his brother's abdomen…

/Sorry it took so long for this update, this will probably be the usual length between updates now. Sorry. I hope you guys like this new chapter, I struggled with it a bit to make it different than the show but to have some aspect it in me know what you think! Anywho, thank you so much for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	8. Chapter 8

**Shadow**

A terrible scream erupted out of the chapped lips as Scott forced his hand further into the body, trying hard not to hit any vital organs. Everyone in the room, except Lydia, began to yell at Scott but all Scott could hear was the beating of Stiles' heart. "You're going to kill him." The Nogitsune tried to leverage but Scott kept the nasty words from his ears, trusting that Stiles knew what he was doing. "He's going to die and you will have his blood on your hands! Ha! The irony! The boy who once kept blood from your hands…" His words were cut short as Scott felt something, almost like a wound of bandages, deep within Stiles and held onto it. He wasn't sure what he was doing but acted on instinct.

Grabbing onto the foreign material Scott pulled away from the body, pulling a black mass from the bloody hole. "What the…" He questioned but didn't stop until the black started to turn into a smoke before falling to the floor and becoming a solid shape. Scott took a few steps back, so did everyone in the room, as the once black smoke turned into a body. "Stiles?" Scott looked in shock as the body on the floor turned out to look just like the bleeding boy on the couch.

The body on the floor started to push itself up, cracking its bones as it did and laughed. "You idiots, you don't know what you've done, do you?" It laughed finally standing to face the room. "You've made me his shadow; you haven't gotten rid of me. You've only endangered him more. Oh how I love it." With that he snapped his fingers and was gone in a cloud of black smoke.

Everyone turned to Stiles as the sound of sirens brought them out of their shock. Scott knelt down before the couch and put a hand over the bleeding hole in Stiles' stomach. "Stiles? Stiles, tell me you're okay. Come on, buddy, say something." The young wolf worried for a second, not hearing Stiles' heartbeat. "Come on!" He shook his friend and with it came a faint beat. "Stiles?"

Taking a shaky breath Stiles tried to whisper. "Sco…" But he was too weak. That didn't matter, at least he let everyone know he was alive, for now. And the paramedics came rushing into the house trying to save his life but the boy wouldn't let go of Scott's hand and Scott wasn't about to argue with that so he rode in the ambulance with his best friend praying he hadn't made the worst decision of his life, freeing a monster and killing his best friend.

Waiting seemed as though it was its own circle of hell. Scott had to be ripped from his vice grip on Stiles by his mom when they got to the hospital and then he had to deal with a distraught sheriff as well as a confused pack. But Scott didn't want to deal with all of them, he wanted to see his brother and make sure he was okay.

After hours of agony, the doctor came out to the waiting room looking tired. "Stilinski?" He called out as he walked into the plastic room of false hope. The sheriff and Scott stood up walking over to the doctor as the rest of the pack sat up in their seats looking eager. "You're kid's lucky. The wound seemed to miss all the vital organs. We've managed to stop all the internal bleeding. It will be a bit of a recovery but the wound will heal. What we're more concerned about is that he seems to be pretty malnourished and showing signs of someone who hasn't slept in days." He eyed the room as if waiting for some answers but continued when there was only silence. "We have in him recovery now. He's hooked up to an IV and we're giving him blood because he lost a lot. We're letting him rest but once he wakes up we're going to try to get him to eat something and if he can't keep it down we'll have to insert a feeding tube. I think the nurses are still setting up his room but I'll have them send for you as soon as you can see him." He gave a nod and shook the sheriff's hand before walking away.

It was another two hours before Scott followed the sheriff into the hospital room where Stiles laid motionless in bed hooked up to too many wires. "Oh god." Scott stumbled backwards a bit. "This is all my fault."

The sheriff shook his head, trying not to compare the sight before now to a sight he'd seen before. "It's not your fault Scott. You did what you had to do to save my son. The doctor said he'll be okay. We have to focus on that." He gave Scott's shoulder a pat before walking over to his son and taking one of the pale hands in his own. "You're okay now Stiles."

Five hours Stiles remained in a coma-like sleep, worrying Scott. He had never seen his friend so motionless or sick. Stiles was the hyperactive one, even in sleep. Stiles was the one with an amazing immune system even without the help of werewolf genes. It was all too surreal for Scott. He just wanted Stiles to wake up and be okay again. But when Stiles woke up, he didn't seem so okay. "NO!" Stiles jumped awake as his heart monitor began to race.

"Hey, kid, it's okay." The sheriff jumped to action, one hand running through Stiles' unkempt hair and the other holding him down gently enough to keep him from hurting himself or pulling out anything. "It's okay, you're okay. You're in the hospital now, everything's going to be okay." He kept repeating the calming phrases until the heart monitor soothed and Stiles was breathing normally. "Are you feeling okay Stiles? Do you need me to call for a nurse or something? Are you in pain?"

Stiles shook his head. "I think I might throw up." He put a hand to his abdomen, trying to be gentle. Then he noticed the IV and the blood . "Scott?"

Hearing his name, Scott ran up to his friend's side as the sheriff left the room to find a nurse. "I'm here buddy, I did exactly what you said. I tried not to hurt you too bad I promise. I just…"

"It's okay. I was honestly expecting worse." Stiles gave a weak smile. "So were you able to separate us and kill the thing?"

Scott shook his head and dropped his eyes. "He got away."

Chest tightening, the room starting to spin, and the heart monitor picking up again Stiles started to panic. "He got away." He thought of all the sick plans the Nogitsune had shared with him. Of all the chaos and pain he was going to unleash. He couldn't let that happen. It was all going to be his fault. All that blood would be on his hands. "No, we, we have to find him."

"We will." Scott put a hand on Stiles shoulder. "It's okay, we're going to find him. We got you back."

"But he's going to kill everyone. He's going to make everything worse." Stiles tried to pull himself out of the bed but he was stopped by Scott. "You don't understand. You didn't see everything he was planning to do. You didn't…Scott there's going to be so much blood. Everyone we know is going to be dead or broken and it's going to be all my fault. He knows everything, everything he could possible need to know about all of us because of me. There's already enough blood on my hands."

Before Scott could respond the door was opening and their parents were stepping through. "Hey, it's good to see you awake." Melissa smiled, holding a bowl and spoon in her hands. "We're going to try to get this on your stomach and then you need to sleep some more."

Trying not to cry, Stiles shook his head. "I don't have time for that. I need to…"

"Stiles." The sheriff's voice was stern. "You need to take care of yourself first." He gestured for Melissa to continue. "Let everyone else deal with…"

"With the monster that I know on a personal level and happens to be wearing my face? Yeah, okay, that sounds easy." Stiles sank back into the bed stubbornly but ate the soup put in front of him in silence as everyone watched. He even managed to hold down the half of the bowl he ate. And against his own wishes, Stiles went back to sleep as the rest of his pack went out to find the Nogitsune.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Was what woke him from his slightly medicated sleep. "Everyone has it, but no one can lose it." A voice whispered in his ear, so close he could feel the breath on his neck. Tap. Tap. Tap. Someone was tapping him on the side of the head. "Wake up Stiles." The voice was so familiar but it also sounded off, like there was something just wrong…

Immediately bolting up in the bed Stiles looked up to see himself. "No, you can't…" Stiles looked around, wondering if he could take the Nogitsune himself or if one of the werewolves were close. "You aren't…no…" His mind wasn't putting anything together. This had to be a nightmare, he was hoping this was a nightmare.

"Come on Stiles, you haven't forgotten your own shadow already, haven't you?" He smiled wickedly before pushing Stiles back on the bed and holding him there harshly. "We're going to play a game Stiles. I call it, Shadow or Alpha. You see, we're still connected in a sense. I'm sure you can feel it. On some level you can control me as I can control you, some crazy yin and yang shit. But the more you try to rein me in, the more you strengthen this bond between us, the weaker the bond becomes between you and Scott. So who will you anchor Stiles?"

Stiles tried to struggle away from the grip but it was too strong. "That's not a hard choice. Scott isn't going around killing people. He's in control, he doesn't need me. Haven't you proven that the past few days?"

Again the thing laughed and tightened his grip on the boy, digging his boney fingers into bruising flesh. "Maybe when he's completely sane you'd be right but I have a feeling Scott won't be in his right mind in the near future." The Nogitsune leaned in so his lips were right by Stiles' ear. "Have you ever heard of the Berserkers? I'm sure you have, your history grade is pretty impressive. But they aren't just Germanic warriors Stiles, no, they're so much more. They're monsters too." Pulling away and letting go the Nogitsune started to hum a familiar tune. "I'll be seeing you Stiles. A shadow never strays too far."

Lying in the hospital bed on the verge of a panic attack Stiles managed to call Scott's phone, ringing and ringing but no answer.

/So this is more of a filler chapter I feel like, there will be more action in the next chapter. I'm kind of combining stuff from season 3 and season 4 because I think it's cool and could make it bloody. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day :)


	9. Chapter 9

So um, warning...someone dies in this chapter...sorry, but they also died in the show so...don't blame me, blame Jeff Davis (hehe). Anyways, enjoy...

 **Shadow or Alpha**

As a kid Stiles loved riddles and games, but now Stiles hated them. He managed to detangle himself from the IV and other wires in the hospital bed. His escape was almost managed, pulling his pants on painfully when a worried Melissa came rushing into the room. "Stiles what the hell do you think you're doing?" She instantly went over to the boy and tried to usher him back into the bed.

"No, I have to leave." Stiles winced as he tried to fight the nurse. "You don't understand, he was here, he told me what he was planning to do. I need to go find Scott, now. He's not answering his phone." Against his will, but too weak to do anything different, Stiles was pushed back into the hospital bed. "Melissa please, you have to let me go. I'm the only one who can stop him."

Melissa ran her hand over the boy's forehead into his hair. "He's probably not answering his phone because he's trying to do what you're trying to do. We just got you back Stiles and you're hurt. You need to get better before you go off fighting some monster."

Stiles shook his head. "No, you don't understand. It's not just the monster I'm stopping, I have to stop Scott. I need to go." Stiles was pushing against Melissa with all the strength his tired and beaten body had. "He's going to change Scott. I have to be there when that happens."

Regretting her actions slightly Melissa pulled out the syringe she had in her pocket and pushed the needle end into Stiles' thigh. "Just relax Stiles, when you wake up Scott will be here and everything will be okay." She slowly lowered him back into the bed as the sedative did it's magic.

"No, why did you…they're all going to die. It's all my fault…" His words were slurred whispers as he fell back into the rumpled sheets and into a dreamless medicated sleep. Once he was asleep Melissa pulled out her phone to call Scott but just as Stiles had, she only got a voice mail.

Dark and pain, that's all Scott can feel. He tried to remember what happened, how he got here but there's nothing. He tries to think of his family, his pack, but nothing comes to mind. Every warrior and killer instinct comes to surface, drowning everything else out. Before there was always the steady drum of his anchor's heart beating in his ears now there's just the beat of his next victim waiting to be destroyed. Destroy, tear, break, murder…a steady new rhythm for Scott now as he opened his eyes and looked through the skeleton mask.

"Scott, come on, it's me. It's Derek." Derek held his hands up in surrender, hoping the beast coming towards them would snap out it. "SCOTT!" Derek yelled in a roar, calling out to Scott's wolf but there was nothing, no recognition. Scott was gone, he was a berserker now. So Derek fought back when Scott raised a clawed and armored hand at him. "Scott, think about your anchor! You can beat this!"

"SCOTT!" The sheriff held the gun up, not wanting to shoot the kid he's always considered a second son. "What's wrong with him?"

"He's mine now." The Nogitsune appeared behind the monstrous Scott. "The only person who has any hope in stopping him is Stiles. That poor boy you forced to stay in bed." He laughed. "How many people do you think I can get him to kill before Stiles wakes up and convinces Melissa to let him out?"

"I don't know, maybe one if you count killing you." Stiles surprised everyone, leaning heavily on the doorway looking sicker than before and about to pass out. "You underestimated how many times Scott and I have had to sneak out from under Melissa's nose." He went to take a step into the room but started to fall, luckily Derek was there to catch him. "Thank you, but I'm fine."

Derek scoffed. "Yeah, you're perfectly healthy."

The Nogitsune took the moment of deflection to grab the one closest to him: Allison. "So, are you ready to play the game Stiles?" He danced back and forth on his feet as he held a blade up to Allison's throat threateningly. "Who are you going to stop? Who are you going to save?" The Nogitsune snapped his fingers and Scott grabbed ahold of the sheriff, throwing his fist into the older man's face over and over no matter how hard Isaac and the twins tried to stop him. "Who are you going to stop? Who are you going to save?" He whispered again as he started to move the blade over Allison's skin and the rest of those in the room were pushed back or to the floor, the Nogitsune putting up some sort of force field.

Stiles looked at the scene in horror. "STOP!" He looked over at Allison, her eyes on him as if trying to communicate a secret message. "I'm so sorry." Stiles wasn't sure how to control his shadow but he knew how to get to Scott. He pushed passed the werewolves unaffected by the invisible wall. "Try to save Allison!" He yelled at his pack, which was trying to fight past the invisible barrier, as he grabbed onto Scott's fist. "SCOTT!" His voice was booming, louder than he thought possible. "Scott, it's me, it's Stiles. Come on buddy, this isn't you. You're the True Alpha!" The result of Stiles' rambling was Scott dropping the older Stilinski and grabbing onto the younger one, holding his neck between hands. "Scott…" Stiles felt it becoming harder to breathe. "Come on, I can't find the dead bodies alone." His voice was just a whisper, barely audible through all the chaos even to a werewolf. Stiles wasn't sure Scott had heard him as his vision faded and he fell into the black abys.

But Scott heard it. _I can't find the dead bodies alone_. A memory flashed before his eyes, breaking through the darkness and anger. A boy hanging upside down screaming. _Why do you have a bat?_ It was Stiles, his friend. He had friends. Back then, he only had one friend; a friend who wanted to go find a dead body with him. Back then they wanted to find the dead body. Now the dead bodies find them. _Maybe all we do is find the dead bodies_. So much emotion hit Scott like a wall. He blinked. He could see everything again, there wasn't just blood. And he was holding a limp Stiles by the throat. "No, Stiles, hey, buddy…" Scott threw the bone mask off, breaking it against the wall. "Stiles." He slowly lowered himself to the floor with Stiles in his arms.

Eyes fluttering open, Stiles felt his lungs filling much easier now. "Scott, you're back." He smiled, but only for a second before trying to get back up. "I have to stop him. I have to…" But before he could finish his sentence all the werewolves were sent flying back by a strong gust of wind and the Nogitsune stood tall with a smile on his face as he plunged a knife deep into Allison's abdomen, the final blow. "NO!" Stiles reached out but it was too late. Scott barely got there in time to catch Allison as she fell to the floor.

"Shadow one, Alpha zero. I can't wait to play again." The shadow-self laughed as he faded into dark smoke and disappeared.

Tears running down his face Scott tried to hold his hand over the deepest wound, trying to take the pain while stopping the bleeding. "We can fix it. We always fix it." Scott was trying to convince himself more than Allison and he knew it.

No one in the room could move, not even Chris who had come to the battle late only to watch his daughter die. No one could even talk, not even Allison when there was so much she wanted to say. She wanted to tell Scott that it was okay, he was still human and that was okay; it was okay he couldn't save everyone. He was her first love, the one to make her feel strong and let her know what love was supposed to feel like. She wanted to tell Isaac that she loved him, that he showed her there was still love after the first. She wanted to thank Derek for teaching her that not all monsters do monstrous things and for teaching her to truly understand and respect the code. She wanted to tell Kira that it was okay and to treat him right, because Scott deserves it. She wanted to tell Ethan and Aiden to remember that people can change, villains can become heroes. She wanted to tell Lydia that she was her best friend, her first real friend, and she could never thank her enough for that. She wanted to tell her dad that he taught her so much and that even though she could be stubborn and an angst-filled teen she still loved and respected him. But there wasn't time for all of that; there hardly ever is when death comes this young. So when she finally managed to speak, blood dribbling out of her mouth as she did, she spoke to the boy barely holding onto consciousness nearby. "It wasn't your fault Stiles."

Stiles barely heard her. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." Allison managed one more smile before her last breath passed her lips and Scott let out a mournful howl.

/Hey I got this one in pretty soonish, I'm proud of that :) But mid-terms are coming up so it might be a while before the next update, but it's already in progress so maybe not. Anyways, thanks for reading, pretty please review and let me know what you think, and have an awesome week!


	10. Chapter 10

**Chasing Shadows**

Everyone has it but no one can lose it. Everyone has it but no one can lose it. _Everyone has it but no one can lose it_. The riddle ran around Stiles head over and over and over. "But I lost it." He whispered as Melissa continued her at-home examination. "Everyone has it but no one can lose it. I lost it. I'm no one?" He mumbled to himself staring at the wall with a scared expression on his face, ignoring the concerned looks he was getting. "Or I never lost it. I still have it?" He tried to bite on his finger nails but Melissa held his hand down.

"Stiles, sweetie, are you okay?" Melissa looked right into his eyes, amazed at the fact that he was still awake and breathing. "Stiles?" She couldn't believe the trauma the kids had just gone through.

Ignoring the question Stiles continued his thought process as if everything might fall apart if he let his mind wander off onto something else. "Peter Pan lost it. How did he find it? That makes no sense Stiles, he's a story in a book." Stiles ran a hand through his hair, or as least as far as the IV would allow him to. "What if…"His voice broke off as his eyes continued to follow the shadows dancing the wall, chasing after them as the light caused them to move around the room.

"Stiles!" Melissa's outburst made the teen jump. "Are you okay?"

With big eyes Stiles stared at her for a minute. "Isn't that what you're supposed to be figuring out?" He blinked a few times as Melissa let out a light laugh. "My neck hurts." He only now seemed to notice his horse voice. "Scott…and then…" His mind started to go over the past events finally. He'd focused on the riddle to keep it from washing over him but now came the tidal wave. "Allison. It's my fault. I didn't stop him. She's dead." Stiles looked down at his worn body and the IV Melissa had forced upon him along with all the medicines. "It would only be good news if I was dying too."

A tear ran down Melissa's face, it hurt her to see Stiles like this. "Stiles, don't say that. We need you. Scott needs you, just like he needed to today. He's going to need you even more now. He just lost his first love." She put a motherly hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't your fault Stiles. It was the Nogitsune. Blaming yourself does nothing Stiles." Melissa wiped her face and grabbed the food she had prepared for Stiles. "Now stop being selfish, man up, and let me help you get better. Okay?"

In response Stiles just nodded and laid back on the pillows propping him up and let Melissa feed him as he went back to watching the shadows on the walls. Once his stomach couldn't handle anymore he put a hand up stopping the spoon. "Melissa, if no one can lose it how could I?" He looked up at Melissa with scared and tired eyes.

Melissa ran her fingers through his hair. "You haven't lost anything Stiles." Her words were the last thing Stiles heard before drifting off to sleep.

Scott sat in the sheriff's station reciting the words Chris had stuck in his head. "We were in the parking lot. It all happened so fast…so fast." It was like a dream. He couldn't believe it. Allison was dead. He had loved her so much, had mourned the loss of her love, and now he was mourning just her loss. His mind just couldn't process that information. How could she be dead? Allison was the strong brunette hunter who could shoot an arrow and hold her own in a fight against a werewolf. She was only a kid. She's not supposed to be dead. How could she be… "It all just happened so fast."

After finally leaving the police station Scott made his way to see Stiles to find his mom waiting for him, wrapping her motherly arms around him in a hug like nothing he had had since he was a kid. "She's dead mom." He let the tears fall for the first time. "And Stiles…Mom tell me he's going to be okay. Tell me he's not mad at me. This is all my fault. If I had only had more control…" Before he could continue there was a slap to the back of his head.

Melissa pulled away from her son only slightly. "The two of you, you're unbelievable, blaming yourselves…" She shook her head. "You can't do that. You have to just be there for each other. Stop taking the blame and just defeat this thing once and for all." Melissa gave her son a kiss on the cheek. "Go check on him Scott, I think you both need it." She gave him a slight push towards the bedroom.

Hesitantly, Scott opened the door where Stiles was twitching and mumbling in his sleep with an IV in his arm and a barely eaten from bowl of soup on the nightstand. "No, no, don't kill her…please don't…" Stiles' mumbles became more frantic and he started flailing more than a kid in his state should. "Scott…" His voice was strained and hurt. Scott instantly went to the bed, waking Stiles as gently as possible but Stiles still jumped at being taken from his nightmare. "Scott?" His voice cracked.

Trying to smile and be comforting Scott nodded. "Yeah, I'm here buddy, it's okay."

"No it's not." Stiles turned away from his friend. "It's not okay. Allison is dead, and it's my fault." He didn't cry. He was too sad for tears. Instead Stiles watched the shadows playing on the wall. "I lost it, and then I lost the game." Stiles shut his eyes. "Scott, I told you before. I can't do the things you can do. I'm not a hero. I can never be the hero. You're a hero Scott. You have to fix this." Stiles turned around, his face deadly calm. "You have to stop him. And there's only one way to get rid of a shadow you've lost. You have to get rid of the body creating the shadow. You have to kill me. He can't exist without me."

Of all the things Scott was expecting, this was not it. The seriousness in Stiles voice caused a shiver of fear to run down Scott's spine. "No, Stiles, I won't do that." He looked around the room, seeing pieces of his friend, pieces of their friendship over the years thrown around. Little bits of evidence of their crazy past: Lydia's drawing, pages of werewolf lore, even a drawing of the Kanima, and then there was a picture of the two of them after a lacrosse game before Scott had ever been turned. "Stiles, a hero doesn't kill his sidekick when he needs him the most. There is another way to kill a shadow. Like a smart kid once told me, there's always a Plan B."

"Yeah, but maybe there isn't this time."

"I thought that once, but you proved me wrong." Scott reached over for the still warm soup. "Let me return the favor." He held the spoon up to Stiles' mouth.

The Nogitsune cracked his neck, smiling at the chaos he was causing. He could feel the pain, emotional and physical, flowing from Stiles to him directly. So much strife. When he closed his eyes and focused really hard he could hear not only the conversations Stiles was having but the conversations taking place around the boy. It was like he was still riding along in the teen's head. It was chaos. It was wonderful. It was everything he wanted. He turned to the "old friend" he had caught coming back to Beacon Hills. The timing was perfect. And then he looked down at the bone mask in his hands. "So many games yet to play." He laughed as he watched from his perch just outside of Derek's loft.

Stiles rolled around on the bathroom floor trying to stop the ache in his stomach. "I ate too much." He groaned.

Laughing sadly Scott knelt down, handing Stiles a damp wash cloth. "You barely finished your soup Stiles, I don't think that's it." He learned against the bathroom wall as he watched Stiles' eyes glaze over and drift back and forth over his head on the wall. "Stiles, are you okay? What's wrong?"

An eerie laugh escaped Stiles' lips. "I don't think I'm ever going to be okay again Scotty." He went to the toilet again but only let go one dry heave. "Scott, they won't stop mocking me." Stiles put his hands over his ears. "They keep dancing around, laughing, telling me that he's won. They tell me…" Tears went down his cheeks. "They keep talking about Allison, they won't stop. They dance around and chant little riddles, just like he did." His eyes went back to the wall, moving around as if following something awful.

Scott scooted closer. "Who? Who keeps mocking you Stiles? Who are you looking at?"

His voice came out as a strained whisper. "The shadows." He brought his knees up to his chest, burying his face in them as he finally shut his eyes tight. "I can see all of them now. At first I thought that it was because I didn't have one. But Scott, what if I'm the shadow? What if I'm his shadow? That's why I can see them, because I'm one of them." Stiles' whole body shook. "A shadow can't be an anchor."

"And a clumsy, C-average, once benchwarmer can't be a True Alpha. But I manage, don't you think?" Scott smiled. Noticing that Stiles wasn't listening to him Scott stood up and turned off the light, finally getting Stiles' attention. The boy on the floor looked up completely shocked. "What? If there's no light then there are no shadows, right?"

It was as if a light bulb finally went off in Stiles' head and he could think clearly for the first time in years. "Turn off the light." He started laughing a little uncontrollably. "I am the first you ever saw, what greets you every morning and what goes out in the end. What am I?" He looked up at Scott.

"I don't know?" Scott worried a bit more about his friend.

"Light. And light was what made the shadows possible. But there's something else." Stiles relaxed against the wall. "You cannot see me, hear me, or touch me. I lie behind the stars and alter what is real, I am what you really fear. Close your eyes and I come near. What am I?"

Trying really hard to concentrate Scott thought about the riddle. "The dark?" His voice went up a pitch in question.

Nodding enthusiastically Stiles closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the wall. "There are no shadows in the dark because they're apart of the dark. Take away the light, take away their power." Suddenly Stiles jumped up. "Take away the light, take away the power. If there's no light then there are no shadows Scott!" He smiled, really truly smiled. "I have to take away the light, then there will be no shadow."

Worry evident on Scott's face, he scooted forward and put a hand on Stiles' knee. "Stiles, we talked about this. You're not going to die. You're going to make it through this. We need you…"

"No." Stiles waved a hand in the air. "That's not what I'm saying. Listen to me Scott, come on. You're smarter than everyone thinks you are, I promise. A shadow needs light to live, there is no dark without light. What does a Nogitsune need to live?" He paused hoping that Scott would catch on. "You need happy to have sad. You need good to have bad. He lives on chaos, pain, and strife. He's been draining it all directly from me. So, let's take away his food supply. Let's stop chasing the shadows on the wall and turn out the light." He smiled, acting more like the Stiles Scott knew.

Scott nodded, still a little unsure. "Okay, how do we do that?'

The only response he got was Stiles trying to get up on his own, but failing and needing Scott's help, then tripping all the way back to his room to find his phone. "We need Derek." His fingers fumbled around the phone to type out a message. Stiles looked up at Scott, finally ready to explain because Scott just wasn't going to get it on his own. "The Nogitsune is getting power from hurting my loved ones and using them against me. He's using my memories against me. I've had to watch my mom die over and over. I've had to relive the last week every night. I live in fear of each and every one of you dying in some terrible way by my hands, unsure if this time is real or a hallucination. He came up with a dumb game to make me choose between my loved ones. He's feeding off of this. It's giving him power. So what happens if I don't have any loved ones? What happens when I have no memories?"

"You want Derek to take your memories?" Scott couldn't believe what he was hearing. Stiles was the one who was pissed for months when he lost only a few hours of memory after hitting his head in lacrosse practice. There was no way he was suggesting this.

Nodding Stiles sent a message to Derek telling him to come over ASAP. "I want Derek to take the bullets out of the gun. I won't be his weapon anymore. I'm done chasing shadows." His eyes lingered on the wall across the room a little too long, seeing things no one else could see, things that weren't there. "Let's take away the light." And when there was no response from the older werewolf, the two boys left and made their way to the loft.

/Sorry it's been so long, but you were warned. I hopefully will have the next chapter up soon because I've started it already and I know what the next two chapters will be for the most part. More action is to come, more fighting. Anyways, thanks for reading, review pretty please, and have a great day! :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Lights Out**

When Derek didn't answer his phone Stiles became impatient, always impatient, and the two best friends decided to find Derek themselves and went to the loft. Stiles was jumpy and jittering the whole drive there, watching the headlights play with the shadows. There was a dull ache pulsing all over his body making no comfortable position possible. Scott was going to make a comment that Stiles shouldn't have left Melissa's care when he heard a whimpering not too far off, causing him to sit straight up behind the wheel of the jeep.

Of course, Stiles noticed Scott's behavior (when does Stiles not notice?). "What's wrong?" There was even more panic and worry in his voice.

Scott pressed harder on the gas, hearing the struggle of a fight. "There's something wrong in the loft. It doesn't sound right. I think someone is hurt." He couldn't help but flinch at the echoing sound of bones breaking. Then he heard a laughing, an awful laughing, the Nogitsune's laughing. "He's there." That was all that needed to be said. Stiles knew who 'he' was. Once they got out of the jeep they ran, well as much as they could run with Scott supporting Stiles the whole way, into the loft. And what they saw was not what they expected.

In the center of the loft, standing over Derek and struggling with the twins, was another Berserker, half his face covered in bone and his body distorted in a half-transformation of a werewolf, as if trapped in some inner turmoil. Even though he was half covered in dirt and blood, there was no denying who was behind the bone mask. "Jackson?" Stiles couldn't believe it.

A laugh came from the other side of the room. "Oh he won't respond to you, kid. And as Lydia has already tried, there's no teenage love running through his veins to bring him back like when he was a lizard. No, this goes much deeper. You could say it runs to the bones." The Nogitsune laughed as he sat on Derek's bed, Lydia bound in the corner behind him. "I was waiting for you two." He cracked his knuckles as he stood up. "Are you ready for another game Stiles? I promise this one will be just as fun. Who knows, maybe by the end of all the games you can get the funeral home to give you some kind of deal. You know, buy three get one free." He smiled smugly.

Stiles kept hold of a snarling Scott who was already shifting into his werewolf form. "No, no one else is going to die; no one, but you." Stiles tried to keep himself from shaking. "Let Jackson go, he's been controlled enough. He doesn't…" Before he could finish his sentence Jackson let out a terrible howl as he threw the twins off of himself into opposite walls and picked Derek up, slamming him into the floor at the Nogitsune's feet. "Derek!" Stiles took a stumbled step forward as blood poured out of the damaged werewolf.

When the ex-alpha looked up he stared at Stiles and nodded, trying to let the teen know he knew Stiles' plan, trying to communicate with facial expressions like Stiles was always saying he could do. But Stiles' face was tired and worried, nothing else could be read.

"That's not the only surprise I have for you Stiles. No, it wouldn't be a game without your dear True Alpha involved." The Nogitsune reached into his pocket pulling out a small leather bag filled with a blue powder. "Do you know what this is Stiles?" He waited for Stiles to shake his head. "This is a beautiful little invention concocted by some hunters years back. It takes all the control away from a werewolf. It brings all of their wolf instincts to surface; all those primal instincts to kill and maim whatever is in their path." His smile widened in a sickening way. "I won't be able to control him this time." He laughed as he poured some powder into his hand. "But then again, neither will you."

With those words, the Nogitsune jumped to stand in front of Scott and Stiles and blew the blue powder from his palm into the air in front of their faces before anyone could move. And then all hell broke loose. Jackson jumped from his stance over Derek to lunge for Lydia, helpless and trapped Lydia. Aiden ran to deflect Jackson while his brother, Ethan went to help Scott. Scott fell to the floor with an angry growl, feeling his control slipping away fast. And Stiles…Stiles felt a tear run down his face as he went against every instinct in his entire being, and didn't try to save any of his friends. He didn't try to stop Scott from attacking anyone or stop Jackson from tearing apart his first love.

No, Stiles sprinted across the room sliding on the floor to Derek. He grabbed the older man's clawed hand and helped him plunge his fingers into the back of Stiles' neck. There was growling, screaming, cursing, and a horrible scent of blood as everything started to go black. The last thing Stiles saw was a wolfed out Scott charging towards him. "Everything will be okay, Scotty." The whispered words just barely left his lips before his world went black and he fell to the ground limp. Lydia let out a terrible shriek before she could stop it, before Stiles could win this one.

Silence; deafening, unbearable, sickening silence filled Beacon Hills as soon as Lydia's scream died on her lips. And that silence lasted for two weeks. Two seeks of silence. For two weeks everything was quiet, everyone was quiet. For two weeks the Nogitsune stayed out of sight, causing no chaos. It was too eerie. Like the unnerving calm before the worst storms.

The Nogitsune had let out a horrible scream as Lydia had, but his was not of mourning or pain and did not last as long. His scream had been as if he'd been physically struck. And then he just vanished. No one in the loft could see where he went. It was as if the shadows had eaten him whole. And no one had seen him since. But they knew he wasn't gone.

As soon as he had left Jackson had come to his senses, Lydia's scream cracking the bone mask on his dirty face. But it was too late. Coming too, Jackson realized his nightmare had come to life, he had killed again. His clawed hand was buried deep in the chest of another teen, another werewolf. He could feel his claws piercing the heart in a fatal way. And his other hand remained buried in the poor teen's throat. As soon as he removed his hands, he knew the werewolf would die. There was no healing from this. He'd come back to make amends, but had only become a murderer yet again.

Ethan had just barely managed to keep Scott at bay from killing Stiles and Derek (even though one of Scott's clawed hands had made its way passed Ethan and sliced through Stiles' chest once). But as he heard Lydia's scream, Ethan turned while trying to keep a hold of Scott only to see the position his brother was in. Almost every muscle in his body wanted to stop working. If it hadn't been for Derek, who had managed to move the unconscious Stiles to the bed after finishing what needed to be done and then went to help Ethan, Scott would have escaped. Ethan would have fallen and let Scott tear him and everyone else a part, because what is life without his brother?

Derek, Ethan, and Jackson had to restrain Scott for another hour trying to keep the True Alpha under control as the powder worked its way through his system. Lydia sat on the edge of the bed watching over Stiles, her eyes on his chest to make sure it didn't stop moving as Aiden's had. Her heart had lost too much already in just a few days, she couldn't lose Stiles.

When Scott came to later, after passing out himself, everyone was sitting around Stiles, waiting. They had cleaned the loft (Ethan and Lydia had buried Aiden in the woods) but there was still nothing from Stiles so they just kept waiting. They cleaned each other up, called everyone (Sheriff Stilinski, Chris, Isaac, and Melissa), made food, discussed what had happened, and waited and waited. But nothing came for two weeks.

They took Stiles home to be in his own bed, to be with his dad, but nothing. Melissa looked the boy over and declared him physically healthy but he still laid in bed completely still except for his chest moving up and down. They even called Deaton, but he had no answers for them; he didn't even have some of those irritating riddles. So, the group set up a schedule taking turns watching after him.

When Stiles finally did wake up, Scott was the one with him. And when the lanky teen's heartbeat began to pick up and his fingers started to twitch, Scott became too excited to remember what Stiles had done. "Stiles! Hey, buddy, it's okay, I'm here." He immediately stood over the bed with on hand on Stiles and the other texting his mom. When Stiles finally opened his eyes, flinching at the light of the room, Scott felt like his heart would burst. "Hey, bro, how are you feeling?"

The room was too bright, the voice was too loud, and everything felt so foreign. Stiles looked at the boy with a mop of dark hair standing over him and then at the rest of the strange room. He tried sitting up but his neck, chest, and especially his head hurt too much. "I hurt." He managed to moan even though his throat and mouth were too dry. He let the other teen bring a glass of water to his lips and give him some pain killers before he looked at the tanned teen suspiciously. "Who are you? What happened? Where am I?" He looked around the room, feeling panic rise into his chest. "Who am I?"

Scott felt his heart drop. He knew that Stiles was going to lose his memories but he never thought about Stiles forgetting who he was. "I don't know." It was the only thing he could think to say. He didn't know what else to say, what was safe. Answer were always Stiles' job.

The boy in the bed nodded, still flinching at the light in the room. "Can you turn the light out?" He burrowed into the bed, trying to ease the panic and aching in his body. Why were there so many questions in his head but no answers?

A tear fell down Scott's face as he went to leave the room. "We already did." He flipped the switch before closing the door behind him.

/Tada! That was the first chapter that I actually rewrote a couple of times. The next chapter will be emotion packed, dealing with Aiden's death and more (don't think I just let it go). And the Nogitsune will try to make it's come back, it's not fully dead yet! So yeah, thanks for reading, please review and let me know what you think, and have a great day!


	12. Chapter 12

**Trust**

Scott sat on the floor outside the bedroom, his back pressed against the wall and his head in his hands with his knees pulled into his chest. He just wanted this all to be over. He wanted the chaos to be over and his friend to be back to normal, at least as normal as Stiles could ever be. Scott was so absorbed in his own thoughts he didn't notice his mom and the sheriff walk up the stairs to stand over him. He jumped when a hand touched his knee. "Sorry, I just…um, he's sleeping again. At least, that's what he told me but he's not really sleeping. Apparently, Stiles lies to me when he doesn't know who I am." He gave a bitter laugh but his heart had broken in a hundred ways in the hour it took for their parents to get there as Stiles had lied to him and asked obvious questions.

(Earlier)

 _Stiles tried to get out of the bed, but a terrible pain in his head and chest had him crashing to the floor which caused the boy from earlier to come running into the room with a worried expression. "St-Are you okay? What happened?" The tanned, dark-haired boy was instantly by his side._

 _The teen on the floor looked down to see bandaging covering his chest. "That's what I'm trying to figure out." Stiles, who didn't know he was Stiles, looked up at Scott. "Who am I? What happened? Who are you?" His questions just kept pouring out as panic started to rise up from deep within him, making it harder and harder to breathe._

 _"You need to calm down, okay? We're going to figure this out but you have to stay calm, you have to trust me." Scott went to put his hands on Stiles' shoulders, to help calm his best friend down, but Stiles flinched away, causing a slight pain to rip through Scott's chest. But Scott wasn't going to let that bother him, of course Stiles was scared. Hell, Scott would be terrified in this situation. But deep down, this was Stiles he was dealing with and he knew Stiles and Stiles knew him even if he didn't remember. "You can trust me. You know you can trust me, right? You trust me?"_

 _The hurt teen backed himself up against the wall and nodded as he tried to even out his breath. "Yeah, I trust you." But underneath the words Scott heard a blip in his heartbeat, and all the air in Scott's lungs disappeared: Stiles didn't trust him._

Pulling himself up off the floor Scott straightened his shirt. "I tried to get him something to eat but he said he wasn't hungry, even though his stomach was growling louder than Derek when he's annoyed." Scott had to stay positive; he had to joke because Stiles wasn't in the right mind to do it himself. "I think he was getting annoyed with me, that's why he lied about needing a nap."

Melissa gave a soft smile and put a hand on her son's shoulder. "It's going to be okay Scott, we've talked about this. We just have to keep Stiles clueless long enough for the Nogitsune to reappear and we can kill it once and for all. Just last night Derek said that him and Isaac caught its scent and Chris was working with Deaton, they think they've found a way to actually kill the thing. We'll all make it through this and then we can…"

"We can what? Tell Stiles all about the life that put him in this situation?" A dark looking sheriff spat from behind Melissa, causing both McCall's to jump a little. The sheriff looked so tired, dark circles under his eyes and his skin almost paler than Stiles'. "Look, all I'm saying is that maybe this memory loss is a gift, not just a weapon. We don't have to tell Stiles about werewolves, kanimas, foxes, and demons. We could just let him live a normal teenage life after all of this is done. We could…"

"What? We could let him live in ignorant bliss? When has that ever worked for him? Stiles has never been the type to not question, to not want to know everything. It would kill him…how could you even…Stilinski." Melissa stood up for the boy she considered her own.

But Scott thought about what the sheriff was saying, thought about Stiles being safe. He could really protect his best friend. He could even have a taste of that life, even if it meant he was living a double life. Could he lie to Stiles, though? But there were more important matters at the moment. "Look, we can discuss this later. We have more pressing concerns, like Stiles waiting in the next room. We've agreed that we can't tell him anything but what exactly are we going to tell him? I mean, we have to give him a name. He keeps asking who he is and we're going to have to call him something. What do we call him?"

Sheriff Stilinski straightened his uniform. "What we call any other person in his situation." He stepped past the mother and son, gliding into the room where his son was lying on the bed staring at the ceiling. It took every ounce of self-control not to launch himself at his son and wrap him into a hug. He wanted to grab his son and just run away but he knew that wasn't the answer. "John Doe." He kept his voice steady, professional, forever the sheriff.

Stiles jumped up in the bed. "Wh-Who are you?"

Pushing passed the hurt in his heart, the sheriff walked further into the room keeping on a stony expression. "I'm the sheriff of Beacon Hills. My friend here is a nurse and is going to check over you to make sure you're okay, alright?" His was soft but stern, the way he spoke to suspects or young criminals not the way he spoke to his son.

Once Stiles nodded Melissa stepped forward with her warming nurse smile, not her motherly smile. "Alright, let me check those stitches on your chest first, they were pretty nasty. Then I'll check your head and neck, okay?" She always let her patients know what she was going to do before she touched them, and Stiles was a patient not a pseudo-son.

Again the boy nodded. "I'll go get you something to eat, like soup or something since you haven't really eaten in a while." Scott needed to leave; he couldn't stand to see the sheriff and his mom treat Stiles like he was some stranger, some suspect or some patient. It was sick. So he darted from the room before he threw up or let go any essential information to go make Stiles some soup. It wasn't the first time he'd made Stiles soup. He knew how the kid liked it but he found himself staring at the bowl wondering if he should mess it up, make something different so that it won't spark a memory or make the teen suspicious. But Scott just couldn't do it. He wanted Stiles to have his favorite soup.

When Scott made it back to the room Stiles had new dressing on his chest, a new bandage on the back of his neck, and Melissa was shining a light in his eyes while asking a series of questions. "Yeah, I get it; I don't know anything, okay? I could have just told you that." Stiles pushed away the hand holding the light. "Can't anyone fill in the gaps for me?"  
"I'm afraid not. You will just have to figure it out on your own." Melissa said vaguely as she stepped away from the bed gathering her nursing supplies. "Other than the memory loss, you're in good health. The injuries are healing nicely. You aren't even showing signs of a concussion."

Stiles ran a hand over his face as Scott set the bowl of soup down on the nightstand. "Well that's just great, I'm freaking perfect! But no one can tell me who I am or what happened! That's just fantastic. I'm just peachy, over-joyed with…" He was stopped by a chuckle that escaped from Scott, happy to hear his friend's ranting. "What? You think this is funny crooked-jaw?"

The smile fell from Scott's face. "I'd rather have a crooked jaw than a useless memory." For a second he worried he'd gone too far but Stiles smiled, he actually smiled. It was the first sign of hope since the teen had woken up. And the parents left to discuss Stiles in private while Scott got Stiles to eat. "Well, it could be a good thing. Maybe you were a complete ass or really annoying or something."

The pale teen shrugged as he cooled a bit of soup on the spoon. "Being a complete ass would be better than being John Doe. I mean, who even came up with the name?" He cocked his head to the side. "You know, I have a weird feeling that I know where that name came from. It's like this random fact that's out there in the fog."

Scott smiled slightly, trying to keep the worried frown from taking over his face. "Is there a lot in the fog that you can see? Like anything specific?" He worried that Derek hadn't taken everything.

After taking a few spoonfuls of soup Stiles shook his head. "Not really, it's just like my whole head is full of fog and I can't see anything but shadows that don't make any sense. It's like everything is just gone, completely gone, and all that's left are these shadows. You know, like when you clean out an attic or garage that's been full for a long time and all that's left are the dark spaces where the dust hadn't been able to settle? That's kind of what it's like. I don't know how else to explain it. And then…" Stiles hesitated, and then he put down the bowl of soup. "I had this weird dream."

"What do you mean?" Scott tried not to scoot forward into Stiles personal space, because it was personal space now not just Stiles' space he could invade.

Gathering his thoughts, Stiles closed his eyes and brought his knees to his chest. "There was someone there, their face was covered in bandages but their voice sounded so familiar. They kept saying that it wasn't real. They said I shouldn't trust anyone. They said not to believe I was awake." He opened his eyes. "And I mean, how do I know if that's not real? I do I know if this is real? How do I know if I'm awake, really awake?" Panic was starting to build in his chest again.

Scott held up his hands. "A good friend, a best friend, told me once that in dreams you have extra fingers. So count the fingers." He wiggled his fingers with a smiled.

Stiles stared as his friend's fingers for a long time before he spoke again in a small voice. "How do I know who to trust?" Scott had no answer. He'd never had to tell Stiles to trust him or how to trust him before, he always just did.

Across town Deaton set down a tiny scroll on the exam table, leaning against it. "This is going to be harder than Scott thought." He looked up at the hunter he had once questioned. The hunter he had once helped fight against.

Chris, his face gaunt and looking a bit haunted ever since the death of his daughter, looked only at the scroll. "All our contacts say the same thing. This is the only way to kill a Nogitsune. I even went to talk to Kira's mother. We're lucky in a way; we are in a perfect situation to finally kill this thing once and for all. It just won't be the way Scott expected it to go."

"It will be the first real test of his true alpha abilities." The vet smiled. "I always had faith in him, believed in him. And I still do."

Chris scoffed. "Why, because of his great work ethic?"

Deaton smiled fondly, shaking his head. "No, because of his pure heart and his friendship with Stiles; he's the most grounded werewolf I've ever met. Together, there's nothing those two can't accomplish. I think that's why this task fell upon them. Destiny is a finicky mistress."

A darkness fell over Chris' face. "Was it destiny that my only daughter, my baby girl, had to die?"

"No, the death of an innocent is never something the universe plans for or wants. That's why there are those like Scott and Stiles: to banish the darkness that takes innocence away from our world. No one can make the world perfect but some can help. Some will make a difference even if no one knows it. And I believe Scott and Stiles will do just that. Trust me."

/Poor Stiles! Well, next chapter there will be more action: the final fight with the Nogitsune. I make no promises on finishing it soon though, finals are coming up. But I'll try my hardest. So yeah, thank you so so much for reading, please pretty please review and let me know what you think, and have a wonderful day!


	13. Chapter 13

**Bloodshed**

Blood, the main ingredient, but not just any blood: Stiles' blood. "How the hell are we supposed to get his blood if we can't tell him why we're draining him?" Peter asked the obvious question in a slightly insensitive way as the pack gathered around Chris and Deaton.

"How much blood do we need?" The sheriff ignored Peter's callous. "Is there any danger to Stiles for this? I'm done putting my son in danger." He crossed his arms looking defiantly at Deaton.

Deaton took a breath. "The blood isn't the problem. It's more than he'd give at a blood donation but not enough to be concerned. There are more alarming matters to be concerned about. There is more to the plan than just blood. And even with the two separated there's a connection. If we don't kill the Nogitsune it could still kill Stiles, drain him. We don't really have a choice Sheriff."

"A connection, like if the Nogitsune was coming to him in his dreams?" Scott spoke up for the first time in their meeting, leaning over on a table looking at the scroll Deaton and Chris had brought back.

Turning to Scott, Deaton's face turned dark. "If he's gained access to Stiles' dreams then we already have something to worry about. We need to capture this thing now." He pointed to the scroll down on the table in front of Scott. "We need to taint the Nogitsune with Stiles' blood, make it more human. Then you can bite it. Once it has been bitten by an alpha its body will fight itself, a fox and wolf can't coexist. It will return to its form before it found a body, a firefly. We have two options. We can capture it as Kira's mom did or we can end things once and for all."

"What are you talking about? I thought these things couldn't be killed." Isaac looked up from where everyone thought he was in his usual ghost-like state since Allison.

Deaton sighed. "We have a unique situation. One no one has had before, at least, not that I'm aware of. You see the only one who can kill the firefly is one who has been possessed by it and no one has survived the possession. However, we managed to separate them. We don't have to kill Stiles to kill the Nogitsune. We can bring the firefly back to Stiles and have him put an end to this nightmare." He gave a small, rare smile.

"So what, we just tell this confused kid that we need his blood and then we bring him a bug to kill?" Isaac scoffed. "Yeah, that's not weird at all."

Melissa gave Isaac a stern look. "We will tell him that we need to run some tests, take some blood. He doesn't know as much about medical procedures like he once did, he won't question it. As for the bug…well by then, we don't need to keep everything a secret from him. He'll be safe."

The sheriff shook his head. "No." He looked up at the stairs where he knew Lydia was with his son. "I don't want anyone telling Stiles about the supernatural or the past few years. I want my son to live a normal life, as much as possible anyways. I want him to live a safe life."

Everyone was quiet, unsure of what to say, until Chris broke the silence. "I respect your decision Sheriff, I understand it. Hell, I tried to do that once. I tried to take my daughter and me out of the game but it didn't work. It never does. You can't do that. These kids were made for this. Even if they weren't, you live in Beacon Hills. Something awful is always going to be headed for this town, especially with the Nemeton. All you can do is give him the knowledge and support to keep him safe in this life."

Again the sheriff shook his head. "No, this is different. Unlike your daughter, he won't remember. And I will move if I have to. I won't lose my son. I've lost my wife, I can't lose him." Sheriff Stilinski took a step away from the group. "I'm going to talk to my son about giving blood."

"You mean your son who doesn't know he's your son." Peter smirked but the sheriff ignored him again and kept walking. "The man is delusional."

"He's just trying to save his son." Derek finally spoke up from where he was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. "He thinks this is the best way to protect Stiles."

Peter scoffed. "He's wrong. Even if his memories are gone Stiles is still the annoying little brat who won't stop digging. If the sheriff thinks any different then he's lying to himself. Stiles will get himself into trouble with or without memories, with or without Beacon Hills." He started towards the door. "Call me once you have the blood." And like that he was gone.

Scott knew Peter had a point but he couldn't think about that now. He had to fight the Nogitsune, that's all he could think about right now. "I'm going to check on Stiles." He walked passed everyone and made his way up the stairs. When he opened the door the sheriff was explaining something about figuring out why Stiles had lost his memories and blood samples while Lydia gave him a particular look and Stiles' eyes flickered to Scott. "Sorry man."

Stiles shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I can't really say no, can I? Maybe if you figure out what made me forget everything then I can get it back, right?" He gave a half smile to the sheriff.

The sheriff gave a tight nod. "Maybe. Look, Melissa will be in later to get the blood." He started to leave when Stiles stopped him.

"You're kidding me right? Shouldn't I go to the hospital or something if I'm having blood drawn, not in someone's living room?" Stiles looked back and forth between Scott and the sheriff. "I'm not really going to just be poked and prodded right here, am I?"

"That's one of perks of being friends with the hospital's best nurse. We don't have to leave the comfort of our own home." The sheriff smiled and left the room.

Lydia smiled and gave Stiles a pat on the shoulder. "He means well, I promise. I think he's just trying to make you comfortable. No one likes hospitals." She stood to leave too.

"People don't like hospitals because something in their memory caused them to not like them. I have no memory. There's nothing to give me a bad feeling about them. Unless maybe there is then I could go back and fear could trigger something."

Lydia stopped for only a second. "No one likes the memories hospitals bring back." She gave a sad smile and then was gone too.

Scott sat down on the bed by Stiles. "Sorry everyone is being kind of cryptic. No one wants to hurt you." He smiled. "Hey, have you had any more of those dreams? The ones with the guy in the bandages?" He listened to the skip in Stiles' heartbeat when he shook his head a little too quickly and a little too forcefully. "Sti—John, listen, this is important. It could mean something, or not. But, um…" He felt like Stiles, rambling. "You can trust me."

The boy who had once always shared everything with Scott shrugged his shoulders. "You keep saying that and I really want to listen to you. I want to believe you. There is a part of me, I don't know what it is, but a part of me trusts you already. But…you can't trust everyone. I have to…I don't know. I know this doesn't make sense to you but I have some things to think about."

Scott nodded. "Yeah, okay. Just know that listening to the guy in your head isn't always healthy." He actually got a laugh out of his once friend. The two sat and played video games until Scott noticed Stiles start to yawn. "If you're tired I can leave."

"It's okay, I haven't really been able to sleep much anyways." He rubbed at his eyes and kept playing. That's when Scott noticed how much Stiles' condition had worsened. He was so pale, the dark circles under his eyes worse, his cheekbones peeking out, and a constant little tremor in his hands. Deaton was right, they needed to kill the Nogitsune now, before it could take anything else from Stiles. "I'll be fine." Stiles smiled and started the next level on the game.

The two had only continued to play for no more than ten minutes when Stiles' character stopped mid-crawl. "John?" Scott looked over at his friend, the supposed John Doe. "Bud?" He pulled Stiles' shoulder back to see he had fallen asleep. "Alright, let's get you in bed." He awkwardly moved the boy, who was all limbs, into the bed. "Sleep well." Scott gave Stiles a pat on the knee and left him to his dreams.

 _"Have they told you your name yet?" The familiar voice hissed into Stiles' ear._

 _"I'm a John Doe." Stiles spoke through his teeth. Something about this whole situation put him on edge. The cold basement, the backwards 5 on the wall, and the mysterious man creeping around in the dark while Stiles was being held in one place by something unknown. "Why are you doing this?"_

 _The bandaged man laughed. "I'm trying to help you." He stepped forward, his head cocking to the side. "Don't you remember me?" He laughed. "You can't trust them Stiles."_

 _"Stiles? What the hell is a Stiles?" His heart started to beat faster as he tried to get away but something pulled on his leg, trapping him. "Why can't I leave? What's going on? Who says I can trust you? You have me trapped? They seem like they only want to help me."_

 _Another laugh came from the bandaged man. "You are Stiles. See, I'm willing to help you, tell you who you are. They want to leave you in the dark. I'll let you into the light." He moved into the lightened portion of the room, sunlight coming down in small rays. "Take the trap off your foot and come here Stiles, I have something I need to show you." The man waited for Stiles to look down at the steel trap on his ankle only for it to disappear, then for Stiles to slowly make his way over to the light. "Look up, see what those people have in store for you."_

 _Looking up into the light Stiles was blinded, but not by light…blood. So much blood, everywhere blood was everywhere. "STILES!" A voice roared as another body was slain. When Stiles looked down there was blood on his hands. "Stiles, how could you?! You killed all of them!" A blood covered Scott yelled at him, gripping his shoulders. "This isn't you, this isn't you Stiles." And then he raised a clawed hand only for it come down on Stiles, blood spraying everywhere and everything went black…_

"No!" Stiles screamed in his sleep, causing the sheriff to run to his boy, Scott not very far behind him. "No, no, no…too much blood…no…" He kept screaming as the sheriff held him, trying to comfort the kid who didn't remember him as Dad. When Stiles finally did snap out of it he pulled away from the sheriff violently, sending himself flying off the bed. "No, get away from me!"

Scott took a step forward but that only made Stiles flinch even harder. "Hey, it's going to be okay."

"No it's not." Stiles looked down at his hands, seeing blood. "My name is Stiles, I'm going to cause so much blood shed and you," He looked up at Scott. "You're going to kill me."

/Sorry for the wait, and sorry I lied (no fight with the Nogitsune, I went a little different then where I was going to go but there will be fighting next chapter I promise). Also, what a great winter premiere, right?! Anyways, thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	14. Chapter 14

**Another Trick**

Stiles was being kept in his room, locked up so he wouldn't escape (he'd tried running on several occasions but he had forgotten about the abilities of werewolves). Still, Stiles wouldn't talk to anyone or let any of them close to him. He didn't trust any of them. He just wanted to get away. "You can't keep me here. You have to let me go." Stiles tried again when Melissa entered the room. "This is kidnapping."

"Not really, sweetie, you're with family and the police." She smiled and sat down next on the bed. "You really need to eat something; you're not looking too good." Melissa frowned at the sickly appearance of the boy but he only pulled himself tighter into the corner of the room. "You need to let me take your blood." She hated to take so much when it was obvious he hadn't been eating, sleeping, or drinking nearly enough. "Come on."

Pulling his knees into his chest and wrapping his arms around them, Stiles shook his head. "No, that could be the start of it. I won't do it. I won't let all that bloodshed happen." He laughed. "That's a little ironic, it all starts will a drop of my blood." He continued to laugh, a little giddy from the lack of sleep. Stiles had refused to sleep ever since his last nightmare. "You can go now. Or, you know, could let me go like a sane person would do. I'm pretty sure a sane person wouldn't take someone's blood in a bedroom. There are hospitals for this sort of thing."

The nurse sighed as she set her stuff down. "Stiles…"

"You say that like you've said it before. You know, like a mom who's…" He stopped his rambling. "You said I was with family. Are you…are you my mom?"

His question caught her off guard and she wasn't sure how to answer. "You shouldn't worry about that. Just let me do what's best for you and everyone around you. Trust me when I say we're just trying to help." She crouched in front of the scared teen. "We aren't the bad guys." She held out her hand as if she were trying to coax out a hurt animal. "Please Stiles…"

"So, he didn't lie, that's really my name?" He looked up at her with tired and terrified eyes. She nodded to him. "What kind of a name is Stiles?"

Melissa couldn't help but laugh. "It's a nickname." With that Stiles nodded and gave a faint smiled before allowing Melissa to help him up to the bed. "Okay, just lay down and relax. I'm going to have to take quite a bit and you really aren't in the best condition." She frowned at the boniness of his arm as she rolled his sleeve up, and noticed the bruising forming. "Sweetie, you really need to start eating and sleeping."

Stiles shrugged. "I can't sleep." He looked away when the nurse pulled out the needle. He wasn't sure why but he didn't want to look at it. "I think I hate needles." He mumbled as one broke through his skin.

Another chuckle escaped Melissa's laugh. "It's okay. Hopefully this won't take too long." She watched at the blood slowly made its way out of the vein into the tube. "Just relax."

Without meaning to, getting lost in Melissa's voice and the motherly strokes she kept giving his hair, Stiles slipped into the darkness…

 _"I swear I don't usually say this, but you have to wake up Stiles." The man with the bandages appeared again but this time they were in the bedroom with Melissa, she seemed completely unaware. "You can't give them your blood. They will use it as a weapon. You have to run. You have to get the plant that you've kept hidden in a sealed box in your closet. That plant will help you. It's called wolfsbane. It will poison Scott and the others so you can get away. You can come to me. I'll send a friend to help you." He opened a bandaged hand for a fly to be released._

 _Stiles looked around the room. "Why are you doing this?"_

 _"To keep this from happening." He pointed to Stiles and suddenly blood began to run out of his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. "You're going to die." The blood became too much._

"No!" Stiles came to as Melissa continued to take blood. He pushed her away and pulled out the needle. "No! No blood!" He fell off the bed and backed back into his corner. He pushed Melissa away every time she tried to comfort him or come close. "NO!" He reached out and slapped her, something that sent her reeling. Melissa never thought Stiles would slap her. "Leave me alone!"

The door burst open, revealing Peter with his eyes flashing. "That's enough! I'm getting tired of this. We don't have time for crazy." He charged over and grabbed Stiles, the sick teen no match for a werewolf. "Stick him and get the blood." He looked over at Melissa as he held a thrashing Stiles down. "Melissa! Get the blood we need or I will, and I doubt you'll like it." His voice was calm, sending a chill down Melissa's spine. He meant what he said.

Melissa fumbled from her spot on the floor and went to work, collecting the blood they needed. "I'm so sorry Stiles."

Stiles had stopped fighting, too tired and no strength left. "No you aren't." His head lulled to the side. "But you will be." His voice was barely there and it was raspy. "I won't let it happen. I can't let it happen." Tears started to fall down his face as Melissa finished. "Go, you got what you wanted." He waited until Melissa and Peter were at the door before he spoke again. "I bet I'm not with family."

"You are Stiles. I just hope you can remember that again someday." She closed the door behind her, feeling awful for forcefully taking the blood. She felt so bad that she didn't even notice the fly that had made its way into the room, peacefully buzzing around Stiles' bed. And Peter was too proud of himself to notice Stiles crawling over to the closet.

Scott was running out the back door to stop Stiles attempt at escaping yet again, amazed that he had the energy to climb down from the window and try to run off. But as the alpha came up on the sickly boy he suddenly felt weak. And then he saw it, the plant in Stiles' hand. "You're going to let me go or I'm going to use this." Stiles said with a shaky voice, still unable to believe all that was happening and that he was able to make it this far. "Just let me go."

"No Stiles." Scott tried to overcome the effect of the wolfsbane. "I'm trying to protect you. You just have to trust me until this is all over." He started to feel dizzy, his wolf whining under his skin. "Please, you can't do this…" Blackness was starting to edge in on his vision. He couldn't get any closer, for some reason the plant was having a more intense effect than usual.

A laughing came from the woods. "He doesn't trust you Scott." The Nogitsune appeared out from the trees. "And why should he? You've let him down again and again Scott. You've forgotten about him so many times it's only fitting that he's forgotten you now." The creature smiled. "This is definitely not what I expected, and I went longer than I liked without any food, but then I realized the gift you gave me Scott." He put a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "What a beautiful little toy." He laughed, giving Stiles an uneasy feeling. "The fun is just getting started."

Stiles smiled. "I guess you were right Scott." He threw down the plant, a plant that revealed to not have purple flowers after all. "I am pretty good a tricks." He stepped out of the way as Derek, Isaac, Jackson, and Chris charged forward and grabbed the Nogitsune, all four injecting blood into the beast.

But the Nogitsune wasn't going down without a fight. "You can't do this! You can't trick the trickster!" His voice came out as a boom as he knocked off the three attacking him and he turned to Stiles. "You can't kill me! I'm a thousand years old!" He took a step forward to attack when Scott stepped in, ready to bite the Nogitsune even if he wasn't sure there had been enough blood.

"No!" Stiles jumped forward, grabbing Scott's clawed hand to rip it across the Nogitsune's face, neck, and chest before cutting his own forearm and jumping onto the creature that looked just like him. He squeezed blood out of his arm into the shocked Nogitsune. If he were honest, he had shocked himself. He didn't really know what he was doing; he had barely read to scroll that had been left on the table forgotten.

But once the shock had worn off the Nogitsune threw Stiles into the tree nearby. That's when Scott jumped in and sunk his fangs into the Nogitsune's shoulder. He had to step back when the Nogitsune let out a terrible howl and started to shake, his skin cracking and vibrating. Then his body burst into dust with a final scream, and all that was left was a firefly.

././Hey! Yay! They got the Nogitsune! I hope you enjoyed! As always, thank you so much for reading, please let me know what you think, and have a great day!


	15. Chapter 15

**You're Stiles**

Scott sat in the waiting room chair, his chin resting on his intertwined fists. "He's going to be okay. He has to be okay." He mumbled as Derek sat down next to him. "I mean, he's made it through everything else, he has to make it through this, right?" He looked up at the ex-alpha desperate for answers.

The older werewolf nodded. "He'll be fine Scott. What I want to know is how you were able to finally get to him and how he was able to come up with a plan even without his memories." He kept the wooden box covered in supernatural symbols tight in his hands; it held the deadly firefly they were all waiting for Stiles to be well enough to kill.

The dark haired teen shook his head. "I don't really know. All I know is that I found him in the closet after my mom and Peter got the blood. He said he had a plan and I went with it. He was pretty determined." Scott looked up when he saw his mom coming towards them. "Hey." He hit Derek's leg and nodded towards his mom, both stood up and met her half way. "How is he?"

"There was a lot of damage. Not only is he severely malnourished and fatigued but the hit to the tree caused his appendix to rupture just like I assumed at the house. There was also some damage to his spine but we're hoping that it won't be permanent however we won't be able to tell until the swelling goes down. He's also being given a blood transfusion because those cuts to his forearm were too deep plus he just had blood taken. But, he's going to be okay." Melissa smiled. "He's going to be just fine. The sheriff is talking to his doctor and being taken to him. You guys should be able to see him soon."

A weight lifted from Scott's chest and he took a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "He's okay." He sagged back down into the chair. "He's going to be okay." Scott closed his eyes and focused, finding Stiles' heartbeat in a hospital full of beeps and craziness. It comforted him instantly and his heartbeat immediately matched it. "It's over."

"Well, almost over." Derek nudged him with the wooden box. "Stiles still has to kill the firefly. We're lucky Isaac managed to catch it."

Down the hall Stiles was finally coming to, the drugs of surgery making him feel groggy. "What…" He reached out at the figure by his bed. "Where's…" He wasn't sure who to ask for. Did he have a mom and dad that would be there? "Where's Scott?" It was the only person he could think of. The only person he knew he could trust.

"Always depending on Scott, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that hasn't changed." The woman next to the bed laughed. "Tell me, how did you control the Nogitsune, how did you defeat it?"

"What?" Stiles tried to focus his vision and make the world come in clearer. "Where's Scott?" He didn't know what else to say.

The woman in the scrubs let out a tisk. "I guess it is true, the Stilinski boy doesn't remember a thing. Well enjoy the rest Stiles, it won't last long." There was a swish of blonde hair and then the lady was gone, leaving Stiles alone and confused.

It wasn't until the next day that Scott was able to finally see his best friend. He walked into the hospital room a little shy, unsure of what he was allowed to say. The sheriff had been avoiding him. But when Scott walked into the hospital room, Sheriff Stilinski was right there by the bed looking at Scott like he was a murder suspect. "Um, hey."

Stiles perked up in the bed. "Hey, Scott." He smiled as much as a pale and weak person who still hasn't slept enough can smile. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come." There was worry laced in his voice. "Sheriff, do you mind giving us a minute?"

The sheriff gave Scott a stern look before patting Stiles on the shoulder and leaving. "What all has your da—um, the sheriff told you?"

"I know he's my dad. I mean, he hasn't exactly said it but he's here all the time and I might have looked at my file when the nurse left it in here one morning." He rubbed the back of his head and Scott couldn't help but laugh. "I think he's trying to work up to telling me. Last night he brought in some pictures but never got the guts to show them to me. Hey, while we're on the subject of parents, do you know who my mom is? That's one I haven't been able to figure out. I thought it was Melissa but I don't think…" He stopped at Scott shocked face. "What?"

Scott tried to take the shock away from his features. "No, it's nothing, just, um Melissa is my mom, not yours." He walked over to the bed and sat in the chair next to Stiles. "Why did you help me? I mean, you seemed pretty set on not helping us and then I find you in your closet with a plant that could kill me and suddenly you're…why do you trust me now?" Scott couldn't stop wondering what had changed. He needed to know before he gave Stiles the wooden box in his hands.

Silence took over as Stiles shrugged. It was a minute or two before he started talking. "I was going to use that plant, wolfsbane or whatever it is. But then I found something in there." He pointed to the nightstand that held his personal belongings. "Get my pants from when I came in here." Scott did as he was told and Stiles pulled out a folded picture. "That's my hand writing." He pointed to the red ink on the back, _No matter what, trust Scott._ "I didn't know who to trust but I can't go wrong with myself. And then," He unfolded the picture and turned it over to look at two boys in a sandbox smiling up at the camera with their arms around each other. "That's us, I can tell because of the eyes. And that crocked jaw of yours." Stiles laughed. "We've known each other since we were little kids and I guess we've always been best friends, just look at us. I had to trust this. I had to trust you."

Staring at the picture Scott could barely remember the day this was taken but it had to be around when they first met. He wondered when Stiles had put the picture in his closet or why he had put it in there. "Yeah, we're best friends, we're brothers." He looked up at Stiles. "So, I need to you to trust me just one more time Stiles." He moved to the side of the bed and held up the wooden box that contained the firefly. "I need to you kill what's inside of this."

Raising an eyebrow Stiles took the wooden box covered in weird, cryptic carvings. "You're saying I have to kill something? Didn't we already do that?" He smiled a little.

Scott smiled too. "Actually, not completely." He looked back at the door before looking at Stiles. "Look, I promised I wouldn't tell you this stuff. I promised to keep you safe. So, I can't really explain I just…"

Before Scott could continue Stiles opened the box, grabbed the firefly with his bare hand, and squished the bug like it was nothing. "There." He wiped the remains of the firefly on the edge of the wooden box and gave it back to Scott, looking up at the other teen. "Is that it? Can I go back to asking more questions now? Like whom my mom is?"

Scott couldn't believe it, it was actually over. The Nogitsune was dead, really dead. He wanted to celebrate. He wanted to…he looked up at Stiles, his decision made. "You're Stiles. Your dad is Sheriff Stilinski. Your mom, Claudia, died when you were a kid because parts of her brain were shrinking. It's something you worry about getting yourself. You're really smart but teachers over look you or you don't get the best grades in the class because you lose focus too easily, due to your ADHD and the fact that you get bored too often. Well, now there are other reasons but we'll get to that." He took a breath and sat on the edge of the bed. "You play lacrosse even if you're not the best, but hey at least you're not sitting on the bench anymore. You love Star Wars. You've had an unhealthy crush on Lydia Martin since third grade but you guys are friends now and something seems to have changed there. You are the only one with enough balls to call Derek a 'sourwolf'. You lied to your dad to protect him. You're always the one who figures it out, the one with the plan and the back-up plan. You're Stiles, the bravest human I know. And I'm Scott, your best friend and I'm a werewolf."

Stiles stared at Scott then looked back down at the wooden box then back at Scott. "You're my best friend and a werewolf." He watched Scott nod slowly. "And I'm Stiles."

/So, the Nogitsune is finally done and gone for good. I have another big bad and some other stuff planned if you guys would continue to be interested. Let me know. Thanks for reading, please review, and have a great day!


	16. Chapter 16

**Back to Abnormal**

The hospital stay lasted almost three weeks. Scott came by every day, waiting for the sheriff to go to work so he could fill Stiles in on his past life. The two hadn't told anyone about their little conversations (Stiles wanted to keep Scott out of trouble). Now Stiles was walking (limping) around his bedroom, looking at everything the sheriff had allowed to stay on the walls and on the shelves. There weren't any pictures except the one Stiles kept hidden in the nightstand, the one that helped him know what to do.

There was a billboard covered with holes, a few red strings hanging, some ripped paper, and signs of a rushed cover up. "You liked to see everything up, like your dad does at the station." Scott spoke from the doorway, breaking Stiles from his thoughts. "You'd use string to see connections or…"

"Where is everything? What was I trying to solve?" Stiles looked at what was left of some ripped newspaper clipping. The only word he could make out was 'bombing'.

Scott walked over to the taken apart board. "Yourself." He put a hand on Stiles' shoulder. "It was that thing, the Nogitsune. It was…we almost lost you."

Stiles looked over at his friend. And yes, Scott was his friend. It was the only thing he was absolutely sure of. "Almost?" Stiles couldn't help but laugh a little. "You kind of did Scott. You keep telling me things, like how we met and my mom…" He thought back to the night Scott struggled to make it through the story of how Claudia died and Stiles couldn't remember a thing. "I don't remember anything. Nothing is coming back. It's like…there are just missing pieces. I'm not…"

"Don't. Don't say you're not Stiles. We'll figure this out." Scott walked away from the board and sat down on Stiles' bed. "We saved you from the Nogitsune. That was the hard part. We can figure this out. Maybe, if we can talk some sense into your dad, we can have Derek give your memories back or something."

Slowly and gingerly, Stiles laid back down in the bed careful of his injuries. "He still hasn't put the pictures back up in the house. Do you really think that he's going to let some werewolf…" He laughed. "God, I live in a world of werewolves." He looked over at his nightstand. "You should get my medicine."

Scott reached for the pills and got what he knew Stiles needed. "You should really eat something too. Mom said you were still…"

"I know. I know." Stiles sat up just enough to take the pills. "I just…I don't know. Food doesn't taste." He wasn't sure how to explain it. He had tried to tell the nurses and the doctors, who gave him another brain scan only to tell him there was nothing wrong. But there was no taste. It was like he had forgotten how to taste too, but that wasn't possible. Nothing was right anymore, though, and he couldn't find a way to explain it because this was all he'd ever known; this tasteless, painful, black and white, memory-less world.

Scott tried not to give Stiles a worried look, knowing how much the other teen hated it. "I've got it! I know what will get those taste buds working." He got a big, goofy grin on his face as he got up and headed towards the door. "I'll be right back, buddy, I promise we'll figure this all out. Just relax and focus on getting better physically. You can count on me to figure the rest out." And with that he was running out the door to run down a few streets to get some curly fries.

Scanning the room for clues, wondering what a bombing had to do with the Nogitsune, where Scott could have possibly went, and zoning in and out of the fog of the medicine Stiles almost missed the ringing of the doorbell. Slowly, he made his way down the stairs even though he was on strict orders not to. Maybe there were a few things you couldn't change about a person, even without memories. But he was already tired and regretting the rebellion by the time he made it to the door. "Hello?"

Blonde hair moving in the wind was the first thing Stiles noticed, the same blonde hair from when he woke up in the hospital. "Hello, little Stilinski." An attractive, slightly older, woman stood in the door with tight clothes and a predatory smile. "You wouldn't mind an old friend coming in, would you?"

"Um, I know you?" Even though he didn't welcome her in, she pushed passed him with a smile. "Sorry, I had a bit of an accident." He cleared his throat over the slight lie. "I'm not really remembering much. What is your name? Maybe Scott…"

The blonde let out a laugh. "Oh, Scott…how is the little puppy doing?" She sat down on the couch, looking back up at Stiles. "Is he still just as hopeless as ever without his little human sidekick? You know, there for a quick second, I thought you were the second beta." Her smile grew at the sharp intake of breath from Stiles. "That's right Stiles; the werewolf secret isn't that much of a secret. You two really aren't that good at secrets." She stood and started stalking closer to the teen. "But that's okay, because that's all in the past, right Stiles? I bet you're the best at secrets now." She backed the human into the wall, her finger coming up to trace the side of his face. "You don't really have a choice."

"I don't know who you are, but that doesn't mean I can't find out. I know you're…"

"Bad?" She scoffed and then grabbed his jaw. "You have no idea what I'm capable of sweetheart. But lucky for you, I'm going to give you the chance to learn it all again. However, you're not going to tell anyone. Because if you tell anyone, I'm going to kill your da.." She didn't hear as much of an increase of heartrate as she wanted, as she expected. But then again, this was a slightly different Stiles, with different memories and a different connection with his father. She was going to have to share her new development sooner than she had hoped. So, letting claws release through her fingers, fangs protrude, and a little blue start to cover her skin the blonde tightened her grip on the teen. "I'll kill Scott." And just like that, she was gone.

A few minutes later Scott came back to find a strange scent and some fear coming from the bathroom where Stiles was currently hiding. "Stiles? Hey, dude, are you okay? Did something happen while I was gone?"

Taking a deep breath, Stiles stepped out of the bathroom and gave Scott a blank, confused look. "What do you mean? Well, I tried going down and up the stairs because you were taking too long with the food but not really. I'm practically a cripple, remember? I can't do much. Maybe you're the one with the memory issue." He smiled easily, a little too easily. A clue to his memory: he lied a lot in his past.

"Whatever, shut up and come eat." Scott laughed and walked his friend back to his bed, the strange scent going back to his mind, almost forgotten. He was just happy to see Stiles getting back to normal, at least as close to normal as Stiles ever was. This was going to work. This had to work. They had taken too many hits lately. They needed this, he needed this.

/Sorry it's been so long since the last update, life has been really crazy and stressful lately. Anyways, I hope you like the new wrench thrown in there. As for if Stiles will get his memory back...we'll just have to wait and find out...so yeah, thanks for reading, pretty please review to let me know what you think, and have a great day!


	17. Chapter 17

**Muscle Memory**

Physically, Stiles was getting better and stronger every day. But the memories still weren't coming back. Scott tried to remain hopeful and positive but Stiles was getting more and more frustrated every day. He was holding another picture in his hand, one of Scott and Stiles in their lacrosse gear, when he had to put the picture down so he wouldn't rip it accidentally in an anger fit. "Nothing, I don't remember anything. I can't even remember playing the damn sport! I don't remember the rules! I know that's me but I feel nothing looking at it. It's just…I don't know." Stiles fell back onto his bed with his head in his hands. Some days after Scott left, after their secret meetings to regain Stiles' memory, Stiles would be left with the worst headaches. "I don't think I ever am."

Scott tried not to give in to the negativity. It was something he had been doing most of his life. Stiles was the one who looked at how bad everything could go and Scott was the one who remembered to be hopeful. It was why they worked so well. "Hold on, you told me something once. Let's see how smart you really were." Scott smiled before getting up and going to Stiles closet. "Here, put this on." He threw a dirt-stained shirt and some shorts at Stiles before grabbing a bag at the bottom of the closet. "I'll meet you downstairs."

Pulling up to the lacrosse field Stiles looked over at Scott unbelievably. "I told you I don't remember playing Scott. I don't remember how to do this at all. And from what you told me, I wasn't the best." Stiles climbed out of Scott's mom's car.

Taking the lacrosse gear out of the car, feeling slightly odd at the fact that he wasn't pulling the sticks from the back of the jeep, Scott tossed a stick to Stiles who caught it like he always had. "I know you think I don't listen to your Adderall induced rants but I do. And I remember one rant a year or two ago about muscle memory. Even if you don't remember it, your muscle will. It's like…I don't know something about episodic memory or, who knows. My mind doesn't catch onto the science of what you say." Scott got out on the field with Stiles and tosses the ball up and down in his own net. "Okay, we're just going to toss back and forth. Then, if you think you're okay with it, I'll call some of the others out here for a little scrimmage of some sort. You game?"

Stiles nodded nervously, "Okay, yeah, let's do this. Let's see how wrong you and my past self are." He gulped as Scott threw the ball and Stiles went forward, only to miss the ball. "See, failure."

"No." Scott smiled wide. "See how you're holding the stick now?" He pointed down at Stiles' hands. "You weren't doing that before I threw. But you suddenly just positioned your hands exactly how they're supposed to be, how you were taught. You went for the ball like coach taught us to even if you missed it. And hey, you missed it quite a bit even with your memory." He laughed at the memory of some of Stiles' past failed attempts of playing. "Come on, toss it back."

The rest of the evening went on with laughs. Stiles was finally relaxed, not worried or stressed about remembering or about his dad or about this new blonde who seemed to be stalking him now. He tossed the ball back and forth with Scott, ran a few two man drills with him, before Scott called some of the pack over to play. No one discussed anything that had happened recently, none of them asked Stiles how he was doing or if he remembered them. They just played.

Stiles had almost forgotten about his…well that he'd forgotten, until his phone went off. The sheriff was worried about where he was at. They had played until the sunset. Stiles couldn't believe it, he had spent the whole day out of the house and there was no anxiety. He had spent the whole day with people from his past playing a sport from his past and there was no headache. Maybe there was some pulling in his chest, something nagging the depths of his mind, but he was able to stay out of his head for the day and that felt like magic to him.

Once Scott dropped him off, Stiles ate dinner with his dad. When the sheriff reached for another slice of the greasy pizza, Stiles' hand reached out stopping him. It was a reflex, something Stiles hadn't thought about but just did. The two, father and son, just stared at each other for several moments before Stiles' spoke. "I don't know why I did that." It had just felt natural to him, just like lacrosse had.

Sheriff Stilinski smiled. "I do."

Later that night Stiles laid down to sleep, his mind and body too exhausted to waste time on the recent nightmares that had been haunting him. And he fell asleep easily, sleeping peacefully like he hadn't in weeks. He was too deep in sleep that he didn't notice his window opening and the blonde hair that flew into his room with the gust of wind. He didn't wake to the sound of someone rustling through his things, looking for anything and everything. He didn't wake to the dip in his bed or the clawed fingertips that brushed the hair from his forehead. He didn't wake to the soft words being whispered in his ear, "You'll tell me your secrets sweetheart. I'll learn how you controlled that much power. I'll find you, little Nogitsune. I'll find the ultimate anchor." And he didn't wake to the press of lips to his cheek before Kate was gone.

But when Stiles woke, his hand went to his cheek feeling something had been there. He looked around his room to see nothing out of place at first. But then he noticed the corners of the newspaper clippings, the last evidence of the Nogitsune that Scott was still hesitant to talk about, were missing.

/So I know this is shorter than most of the chapters and didn't move the plot along much, which I'm sorry for, but I wanted to get something posted. And I wanted to let you guys know that it might be awhile before I post another chapter. I recently had someone close to me pass away and I'm having a bit a hard time getting back into the swing of things and clearing my head. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can and I promise to never abandon this story. Sorry, please be patient with me. Anyways, thank you for staying with me and reading, please review (your reviews make me smile and I could use more smiles), and have a great day!


	18. Chapter 18

**Why He Survived**

Pacing the room Stiles began to wonder if his dad had removed the clippings. He wasn't sure why it upset him so much but there was an awful feeling deep down in his gut telling him something was wrong. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts and his pacing that he didn't notice someone slipping through his window. "Stop fretting sweetheart."

The surprise voice made Stiles jump. "Oh my god! Are you trying to kill me? Is that your plan? Give the kid with no memory a heart attack and then he can't tell his werewolf friend about…" His mouth just kept going a mile a minute as he was pushed up against his door, an arm across his chest threateningly. Something about it felt familiar but almost off, like maybe he'd been in this position before but not with her. "What are you doing here? Are you…"

"Don't you ever shut up?" She hissed in his face.

"I'm told, 'no.'. Apparently I just keep talking and when I'm nervous or something it's even worse. It's like a chronic case of word vomit that apparently even amnesia can't cure." He stopped talking when he was hit in the face. "Okay, shutting up. I can shut up."

Kate smiled. "I always knew you were the smart one." Her hand fell down Stiles' face, practically petting his cheek. "Now, we need to talk about this tricky little memory of yours. Why did they take it away? The rumor is that it helped you control the Nogitsune. I know Scott must have at least tried to fill you in on it. It's your turn to fill me in."

Stiles took a breath, thinking back to the night he had asked Scott himself. It was the first time Scott had seemed more affected at the end of the night than Stiles. "It was a way to take power away from the Nogitsune. Something about there being no shadows without light? I don't know. It was a hail Mary, a divine move, really." Stiles looked over at the window, hoping that maybe Scott would stop by since it was a night that his dad would be at work and they were all still a little wary of leaving him alone. "That's all I was told. We haven't gotten that far. Hell, we skipped over a lot just to go over some stuff from high school."

"So it was taking power away." Kate tisked. "That's not what I want. There are rumors of you controlling this Nogitsune as well as the True Alpha."

"Who is starting these rumors? Seriously, is there some supernatural hotline?" A hand wrapping around his throat cut him off. "I can't talk if I can't breathe." He managed to choke out.

Only releasing her claws slightly, Kate smiled. "Just answer the questions Stiles. As long as you find out what I need, answers to my questions, I won't take you to see a friend of mine. And believe me, you won't want to meet my friend; having all of your memories flooding you all at once, in one second, will probably drive you insane especially if it's all of the bad ones. But hey, if that's your kink, then I'll just get my friend on the phone." She pushed her claws into his flesh.

"I'm trying to give you what you want but you're asking an amnesiac for memories. So really, who's the stupid one here?" Stiles tried to fight back a bit. "You need me. You won't risk hurting me, at least not too much. So why don't you back off and we can talk like civilized people? There's no need to have claws at my throat. We've already established I'll help you."

Slowly, Kate lowered her hand. "Fine." She walked over to the bed, sitting down and leaning back on her hands. "Make yourself comfortable Stiles." She smiled but Stiles went over to his computer chair to sit down. "I guess stubbornness isn't born from memories either." She moved to lay on her side, her head propped on one hand. "What can you tell me about the Nogitsune, Stiles? I need to know how you controlled it. I need to know how you survived. I need to know what happened to it. And I need to know what happened to Allison."

Stiles flinched at the name. He could remember the tears that ran down Scott's face when he explained that some girl named Allison was dead. "Scott hasn't told me much. It's still fresh for him. He doesn't like to talk about it. I know that I had helped take him down. They needed my blood so they could kill his body. Then he went back to his other form, a firefly. And only those who have been infected with that soul can kill it, so I killed the firefly which killed the Nogitsune once and for all. That part I know. This thing about control? I have no idea. I feel like I can barely control myself right now, sometimes. Scott's the poster boy for control, ask him. And Allison…" Stiles let his head fall into his hands. "Allison is dead."

Kate sat up. "I know she's dead. How did she die?" There was something behind her usual coldness at that question. Stiles knew that Kate must not only had known Allison but had some sort of connection to her.

"Scott said it wasn't my fault, those where the first words out of his mouth. But it was something to do with the Nogitsune. And the way her dad looks at me when we run into each other…I don't know. I think it _was_ my fault."

Suddenly Stiles was on the floor with Kate pinning him. "If that's true, I'll kill you before I get what I need. I don't care." And then she was gone.

Stiles sat on his front steps when Scott finally arrived the next morning. "Hey man, I thought about coming over last night but then I thought you might want a night to yourself. You know, after your come-apart about not being a child and everything." Scott smiled a little warily remembering the night Stiles yelled at him and the sheriff for babying him too much. He sat down next to Stiles, sensing the tension and emotion coming from the teen. "Hey, what's up?"

"How did Allison die?" Stiles asked without looking up.

It wasn't what Scott was expecting. "Stiles, I told you, it wasn't your fault. It was a fight with the Nogitsune."

Stiles put a hand over his neck where a few scratches from the night before were still a little noticeable. "I know what you told me but I need to know what exactly happened and then I can decide my guilt for myself. Okay?" Stiles still wouldn't look up at Scott, afraid that the werewolf would see or sense some sign of the blonde who'd tormented him, threatened him.

Clearing his throat, Scott sat down next to his friend. "The Nogitsune wanted to play some sick game. He wanted you to choose between controlling me or controlling him. He'd turned me into something else, something that wasn't…I was a berserker for a bit. All I could think about doing was hurting, killing. The world was so dark and cold. He was controlling me though. He knew that you would be able to break through, get me back. But he also knew that would take all your concentration. And when you two separated bodies, you still had this connection but for you to use it…You couldn't control us both. You couldn't stop us both from killing. He had me start beating your dad while he had ahold of Allison." Scott looked down at his own hands, remembering the sheriff's blood on his hands. "I started after you when you called out to me. But you got through. You saved me from becoming a real monster. But…" Scott felt himself begin to shake as the vision of a lifeless Allison in his arms covered in blood filled his mind. "It was too late. None of the others could do anything. He'd stabbed her. Allison was dying." Scott wiped the tears from his eyes. "Her last words were, 'It's not your fault Stiles. It's okay.' And you can't take that away from her. Okay? You can't make her last words, lies."

Finally looking up at his best friend, Stiles made no move to wipe away the tears shed for the girl he didn't remember, a girl whose face he couldn't even bring to forefront in his mind. And Stiles nodded. "Okay." That was all he could say. "Okay." He tried to ignore the drumming starting in his head, the clear sign of a horrible headache.

Scott put an arm on Stiles' shoulders. "Are you done with the crappy memories? Can we talk about something better? Like the time you asked Danny if gay guys found you're attractive. Or when you suggested that we make out?" Scott laughed a little, trying to keep Stiles from any unnecessary pain.

Hating what he had to do to Scott, Stiles shook his head. "No, I want to know more about the Nogitsune. That's the reason we're in this situation, right? Maybe if I knew more about that thing and everything we did because of it I could figure out something. Maybe that's the key." He was amazed at how easy it was for him to lie. It was like his tongue was used to it, and that scared him.

Scott nodded, knowing this day was going to come eventually. "Just, Stiles, promise me that you won't think about it too much. Those were your darkest days. I'm going to have to tell you things that you're not going to want to hear, memory or not. And I don't want you to think that's who you are because it's not. What you did when that Nogitsune was inside you wasn't your fault, okay? It wasn't something you could really control." The word 'control' made Stiles perk up in interest. This was what the blonde wanted to know: control. "You put up one hell of a fight though Stiles. And that's what you should hold onto. You're a fighter. You're…you're Stiles." Scott smiled.

Stiles let out a dry laugh. "I don't know what that means Scott. I don't know who Stiles is."

Standing up Scott held out his hand. "Come on, if we have to go through this, we aren't doing it out here. Let's go for a walk in the woods. I mean, that's where our best adventure started anyways." He smiled. "I'll tell you whatever you want to know but then I'm going to tell you some more about my best friend and why he's here and not the Nogitsune."

Taking Scott's hand, letting the young werewolf pull him from the steps and then lead him down the street towards the woods, Stiles felt another tug in his chest and an ache in his mind. Following after Scott in the woods, tripping slightly, made his headache much worse. "You're not taking me out here to kill me so you can keep your secrets, are you? Because that would seriously suck and not be fair at all. I deserve a fair fight, man. Give me like…"

"Stiles." Scott laughed. "I'm trying to show you something. You see, a lot of our story is out here in these woods. You brought me out here one night to find a dead body, that's how I was bitten. And somewhere around here, I'm not really sure how to ever find it, is the Nemeton." Scott could see Stiles' mouth starting to move to form several questions. "The Nemeton is what's left of this tree that holds a bunch of power. And well. You see there was this druid a while back that got power from the Nemeton and was making these sacrifices. She was going to sacrifice our parents. So we made a sacrifice. You, Allison, and me sacrificed ourselves, died and came back so we could save them. But when we did it, we gave the power back to the Nemeton and this place became a beacon for the supernatural."

"Yeah, not hearing anything about the Nogitsune here." Stiles tripped on a log and attempted to act like it didn't happen.

But of course Scott saw it, he only smiled though, not bringing it up. "I'm getting there. It was the Nemeton and what we did that night that lead to the Nogitsune. It was released from the Nemeton and each of us were easy targets. The three of us were suffering from the darkness that surrounded our hearts after dying and coming back. We had these doors open to our minds. We tried to shut the door and I thought we did. We all thought we did. I found control, Allison stopped seeing things, and you were able to read again. I thought the nightmares went away too but…" Scott kept walking, not paying attention to where he was going. "The door wasn't closed though and the Nogitsune was able to use that to get to you."

"So I was the weak link."

"No." Scott turned around quickly. "Not at all. Stiles, honestly, I think the Nogitsune picked you for two reasons. One, he's a trickster. And, not necessarily in a bad way, but you're a trickster too. Also, this Nogitsune was created out of a loss of an anchor. He represents a loss of control. And you…Stiles you keep everyone in control. You're the one who taught me about finding an anchor. You're the one who keeps me grounded. You keep all of us grounded, our human pack member, our humanity. He wanted to mess with that. He wanted to play with it. He wanted to use your mind. But he also wanted to create the most chaos possible. That's not being the weak link."

Unsure how to take in all of that information Stiles nodded and started walking again. "Okay, and how was I able to get rid of him? He sounds like kind of a big deal and we killed it, right?"

Continuing his walk into the woods, Scott nodded. "Yeah, Lydia and I we kind of went inside your mind. We woke you up so that you could take control for a bit. Then we woke up and I plunged my claws into your stomach. There was something there, some black smoke came out, and then there was the Nogitsune looking just like you. You had managed to separate the two of you into two bodies. He was your shadow or something. He was playing with us after that. The Nogitsune knew that as your shadow there was still a connection between the two of you. So he was playing a game of making you choose between controlling me or controlling him. It was awful."

"That's how Allison died, some sick game of his?"

Scott nodded. "You were seeing things, something about the shadows. Somehow I helped you come up with this idea that there's no shadows if there's no light. You realized that the Nogitsune was feeding off of your anguish or whatever but you wouldn't have that if you didn't have your memories. So in a fight with the Nogitsune, where not everyone made it out alive, you had Derek take your memories. It took away quite a bit of the Nogitsune's powers. I mean, your plan worked."

"It was stupid."

"Yeah, most of your plans are. But they work. This worked." Scott smiled. "Then you pretty much know the rest. We found a way to kill it."

Stiles stopped walking, taking in all Scott had said, and sitting on a tree stub while he did so. "So, I was able to control it by separating from it?"

"I don't know. I think the connection had something to do with it." Scott sat down next to Stiles. "But it was something else, I think. I mean, you were able to keep it at bay for quite a while before it was a problem. You had this…I don't know. I think, honestly, I think you controlled it the same way you control me. I don't think anyone could manage control like you do. Hell, you taught me control when neither of us had any idea about werewolves really. You schooled Derek on control."

Sighing, frustrated that the answer was yet again in his memory. "I wish I could remember something." Something seemed to be buzzing in his head, his back suddenly felt like it was too warm. "Jeez…" He shifted.

"You okay?" Scott picked up on Stiles' sudden discomfort.

Stiles felt like his nerve endings were buzzing, maybe even on fire. "Yeah, no, I mean, I don't know. I just feel weird." He put his hands over his face.

"Come on." Scott held a hand out to help Stiles up and off of the magical tree stump. "Let's get you home. Then after that…"

Stiles took the hand and stood up but shook his head, even though it was pounding. "No, Scott, you keep skirting around all the bad stuff. I want all of the memories, the good and the bad. I need to know what happened with the…"

"The Nogitsune was a demon born out of the loss of an anchor and found itself the perfect opportunity. It thought it could take my anchor, the anchor of the True Alpha and cause the maximum chaos because what causes more chaos than a True Alpha with an anchor that's turned on him? But you are more than just my anchor, you're the pack's anchor. You might not be everyone's anchor like you are mine but you hold things together, you have the answers. You always have the plan. You're a true anchor Stiles! And you were able to anchor yourself, I think. I mean, you were the one who came up with the whole anchor system." Scott took a breath.

Stiles nodded, putting a hand on Scott's shoulder, maybe understanding this friendship for the first time since waking up. "I think you're my anchor too Scotty." He smiled. "Sorry, I didn't mean to…" He didn't get to finish his statement, falling to his knees and grabbing his head.

A scene flashed before Stiles eyes, taking him somewhere else. It was a funeral. He couldn't help the overwhelming dread, guilt, and sadness that overcame him. A coffin had already been put under the dirt. The sheriff was standing behind him, his hand on Stiles' shoulders, "You've still got me." And then they were walking back to a car, tears still streaming down his face, when a little hand came to take his. When he turned there was Scott, giving him a reassuring smile. And for some reason he felt like he still had a family, a family that was whole.

When Stiles opened his eyes he was gripping onto Scott, who looked worried. "Stiles? Hey, buddy, are you okay? Do we need to call my mom? Maybe Deaton? Or should I take you to the hospital? Maybe I could…"

"My mom's funeral." Stiles' voice was weak but Scott heard him, sending the werewolf into shock. "I thought I'd lost everything. There was so much emotion built up inside such a small body. My dad, he came over to me once the body was in the ground. He told me that I still had him. I thought that maybe I could still have at least half a family. But then you ran up to me and took my hand. That's when I knew I still had a family, like a real one. I lost a mom but not a family. I don't know, that doesn't really make sense, does it?" He looked up helplessly at his friend.

Scott couldn't help the tears building up in his eyes. "No, that makes perfect sense." Scott gripped Stiles' shoulders. "You remembered something? Like a real memory?" Stiles nodded, still a little too shaky to hold a full conversation. "That's amazing Stiles. Come on, let's get you home and celebrate. Maybe we can make a stop on the way home and get some ice cream!" He helped Stiles up and the two walked out of the woods, Stiles leaning against Scott with his arm around Scott's shoulders.

Just before they left the last cover of trees Stiles turned his head to his best friend. "Scott, you're definitely my anchor."

Later that night, after too much ice cream, Stiles sat on his bed looking at the open window, waiting. It wasn't long after his dad fell asleep (almost happy for the first time in god knows how long) that blonde hair drifted through the window. "There's my good boy, up and waiting. I hope you have good news for me." She sat too close to Stiles on the bed. "Do you have anything to tell me about control? Or maybe my niece?" Her lips brushed against his ear as she spoke.

"I killed her." Stiles didn't even have time to explain before the world went black.

/Hey everyone, I'm sorry that it's been two months since my last update but my life has been a little crazy. As I mentioned in my last update, a family friend died in March. In April, my horse got really sick, my Mimi took a turn of the worse, I found out I didn't get into graduate school, and my cousin died (pretty much all within one week). So, writing has been a little difficult for me, but I hope this little slightly longer chapter makes up for my absence. I'll try to write some more before I start work but my motivation as been lacking, I'm just stuck in a funk. But I wanted to say thank you to those who have kept with this story and still follow and read it. I promise I'll keep up with it even if the updates are further apart than I would like. Anyways, please let me know how you liked this chapter. And as always: thank you for reading, please review, and have a fabulous day!

P.S. If you are following any of my other stories, I will try my best to update them all through the weekend.


	19. Chapter 19: From Memories to Nightmares

**From Memories to Nightmares**

He knew he was awake but still everything felt far away. Stiles kept looking around the room, strapped to a chair, wondering what would happen to him. It felt like a fog of forever before blonde hair came into his vision and a clawed finger ran down his cheek. "Where…? Who…?" His words wouldn't work right.

The blonde laughed. "Now I know the drugs I gave you are strong, Sweetie, but don't act like you forgot dear Aunt Kate." The woman's face began to turn less human and more animalistic, blue with jaguar-like features. "We are going to have fun Stiles. You see, a friend of mine, well more like ex-enemy, taught me a neat little trick. Now, I've never done this before but you know what they say, 'practice makes perfect' and I strive for perfection."

Before Stiles could really comprehend what was said or what was going on, there were claws in his neck, a sharp pain, and nothing but dark empty spaces that made him feel hollow, confused, and nauseous. There was a burst of pain, someone cursing in the distance, and then darkness.

 _A hazy image comes before Stiles, a sick looking woman (maybe a sicker version of the pictures his dad showed him of his mom) in a hospital bed. She's angry about something, but it's the type of anger that comes from fear. Then she's sitting up and reaching for Stiles. "This is your fault. You want me like this. I know you're trying to kill me. I know." She pushed Stiles off the bed and left the room._

 _A sense of grief and worry took over Stiles as he follows the lady, who looks like him, to the roof where she stands on the edge. Then it's like a horror movie, watching her yell to his dad about how he's murderous, and then her attacking him before it's black again._

 _Another hazy picture shows Stiles putting a blanket over his dad who stank of alcohol when his dad's hand reaches out and wraps around his wrist. "How am I going to do this without her? How do I raise that hyperactive kid on my own? I don't know if I can do this…I'm not…I can't…a boy needs his mother. God, I miss her so much." His dad's speech was slurred. "How do I do this?"_

 _Tears came before the black._

 _A horrible series of pictures showed on a screen, the transformation of a werewolf. This was another ancient journal telling him there was no cure for his best friend, just pain and a cursed life. "I did this, this is my fault." The words fell from his mouth almost involuntarily._

 _Then his body moved on its own accord down to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of whiskey. "My fault. All my fault." He mumbled as he drank and the blackness took over once again._

When Stiles came to, he knew it was reality because of the agonizing headache, he was lying on the ground unable to move. He was about to call out when he heard Kate's voice, hissing into the phone, "…then why didn't it work? I did what you told me to do but I got nothing but a white flash! He had some kind of seizure and now he's all limp…I don't know, but you better find a way to fix this." She hung up, almost breaking the phone. "Awake now are you?"

Stiles tried to lift his head. "Why can't I move? What'd you do?"

"I tried to get to your memories but not only have you forgotten they're gone. Derek didn't hide them or cover them up, he erased them." She crouched down next to Stiles' limp heap of a body on the floor. "So congratulations, you are now worthless to me."

"No." Stiles said in a matter of fact tone, not with fear. "You can still use me."

"Can I now?"

Stiles did his best to nod. "You need someone with memory, someone else who knows control." He took a breath, hoping he was doing the right thing and not potentially hurting his best friend. "You need Scott and I'm your best bargaining chip."

Kate smiled. "Even without memories you're the smart one." She gave a rough kiss to Stiles' cheek. "Good boy." She slammed his head into the floor before leaving.

Stiles drifted back to those three new memories as he laid in unconsciousness. But the more he revisited them, the more they changed. _Stiles walked up to the hospital bed and there lie a deranged, angry Scott, starting at him with red eyes. "You did this! This is your fault! You're trying to kill me!" The restraints holding Scott to the bed break and he lunges for Stiles._

But just as claws and fangs meet skin Stiles is woken up, being tossed around a trunk. And there's nothing he can do to prevent himself from slamming into things, he still can't move. He's definite that he's going to have bruises.

The car came to a stop and he could hear Kate talking outside but couldn't quite hear the other person. There was a fight that broke out, hitting the car several times and knocking Stiles around. At some point Stiles hit his head on some metal in the trunk and something wet (must have been blood) began to run down his head. It was starting to get hard to stay awake when the fighting stopped and someone started calling out his name, hitting the trunk (knocking him around more), trying to get the trunk open. "Stiles?" It was Scott, of course it was Scott.

"Scott…" It was too bright outside the trunk. "I'm sorry." He gave in and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." Stiles fell into unconsciousness yet again.

 _/Hello lovelies, I am so sorry it's been so long since my last update! I first of all want to thank those who have stuck with this story and stuck with me! I've been stuck in a rut and I'm starting to find my way out, which means more writing again! I don't know if I'll be able to go back to posting weekly but I will be posting more often. I know this chapter was short but I wanted to get something posted as soon as I could to make up for lost time. Anyways, thank you guys, I hope you like it!_


	20. Chapter 20: Another Set Back

**Another Set Back**

Looking at his friend, Scott tried to keep it together because Stiles looked dead. If it weren't for the unusually slow heartbeat he was attuned to, Scott would be a mess. There was still blood on his hands, Kate's blood, as he drove Stiles to the hospital. He left Kate with Chris, still breathing even though she was torn up pretty bad. It worried Scott, made him wonder what he would have done if he hadn't heard Stiles in the trunk. But they're here now, he has Stiles, and it's going to be okay.

Pulling up to the front of the hospital, Scott saw his mom waiting for them. He took no time jumping out of the car and carrying Stiles out to his mom and a gurney. "Mom, I don't know what Kate did but those marks on the back of his neck…I called Derek, I don't know."

Melissa put a soft hand on Scott's shoulder. "It will be okay, Scott. I've got him. Go get cleaned up before the sheriff gets here." She gave a small squeeze to her son's shoulder then watched the shaky teen walk off to the bathroom. Then her eyes went down to the pale boy on the gurney she'd help to raise. "Stiles…" Melissa shook her head and went into what the boys had called 'nurse mode' and began to help her other son.

Everyone waited for hours in the waiting room before Melissa walked in with a neutral face looking only at the sheriff. "Sheriff, we've got Stiles in a room now. I would have come out sooner but he came to for a second and…well, he's sedated now." She looked down at her hands. She hated having to be the one to give this news.

"Melissa, what's wrong with my son? Just tell me." The sheriff had seen Melissa give bad news to strangers enough to know that look on her face.

"Stiles is paralyzed from the neck down. The doctors can't find a cause for the injury so they can't say if it's permanent or not." She finally looked around at everyone. "We will just have to wait and see if it's permanent or how permanent it is. He could gain some movement back but not all of it. Or he could regain all of the movement back, or even none. It's just a waiting game. Also, we found a whole cocktail of drugs in his system that we had to pump out so he'll be pretty out of it for the next 24 hours." She took a breath. "If his moment of consciousness tells us anything it's that we have to be careful, he has quite a bit of healing to do. God knows what she did to him."

Everyone sat back down, holding hands, and taking a deep breath as a whole.

That night, the sheriff asleep in a chair by Stiles' bed, Scott sat on the foot of the Stiles' bed keeping watch. It was almost two in the morning when Stiles' eyes blinked open. Scott came to attention immediately. "Hey buddy, you're awake!" He put a hand on Stiles' leg for comfort without thought.

Stiles stared at Scott's hand. "I can't feel that." His forehead scrunched in concentration. "I can't move. What can't I move?" His heartbeat began to elevate.

"It's okay Stiles." Scott tried to remain calm and keep Stiles calm. "The doctors say you're paralyzed from the neck down, but because they can't find a cause they can't say if it's permanent. We'll figure it out thought, okay? This is just another small set back. We will still get your memories back."

"What if I don't want them back?" Looking over at the sheriff to make sure he was sleeping, Stiles looked back at Scott. "She did something to me Scott. She put her claws in the back of my neck and then…it hurt and everything went black. But then I started seeing things, horrible things…Scott I think I got some memories back but they weren't good memories. I can't…Scott, I don't want to remember things if that's what I have to look forward to. It's all my fault, everything, it's all my fault." He tried not to cry, knowing he couldn't wipe his face if he did.

"Stiles…"

Before Scott could say anything to his best friend, the sheriff had woken up and was standing by Stiles' bed, holding his son's hand even if Stiles couldn't feel it or take comfort in it. "Stiles? Oh god, Stiles, are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you need anything? I should call the doctor and let her know you're awake…" He stopped and took a breath. "God, you scared me Stiles."

Stiles managed a smile, trying not to think about the drunk man with tears in his eyes. "I'm okay, Dad, just a bit thirsty actually." His request had Sheriff Stilinski running around the room to get a cup of water with a straw and Scott moving Stiles up on the pillows to sit enough that he wouldn't choke on the water. Then the two just stared at him as he took sips out of the straw. He knew that this would be his life, his best friend and dad running around like headless chickens, if he remained paralyzed. The idea made him sick. "Thanks, I'm good. I, uh, I don't really know what happened."

Scott got the look Stiles was sending him. There were memories there that Stiles didn't want his dad to know he remembered. "Sheriff, why don't you go tell the doctor Stiles woke up? I think I've got it here." He held the water back up to Stiles' lips as the sheriff left the room. "What did you remember?"

"I don't want to talk about it. I just want to forget them again." Stiles closed his eyes, hating how it all passed in front of his eyes again. "I don't understand why she gave me these. This wasn't what she was looking for. None of those memories would have helped her with control."

"It's okay, man, I'll, um, I'll get Derek here and he can maybe…He'll know more about all of this, he always does. I told you, this is just a small set back, Stiles. We're still going to figure this out whether you can walk or not. You'll be Stiles again." Scott hated himself a little bit. "Maybe he can help. Derek is better at this than me. He's actually stuck his claws in someone before and didn't paralyze them." He stopped, realizing his words too late. "Maybe he can figure out what's wrong or what happened with the memories, what she did, you know? I'll just, uh, sorry, I'll go call Derek."

Sheriff Stilinski was trying to make light of the situation as Melissa had Stiles in a sitting position feeding him, when Scott made it back to Stiles' room. It had been too long for him to have just made a phone call and the look in his face showed he was about to deliver bad news. "Stiles, I'm sorry…Derek's been taken…"

 _\\\\\\\Hey, so again, it's been awhile. I've had more set backs in my life too so I plan on bringing this fanfic to an end soon, I just can't make myself write. I'm really sorry for dragging this on. If you are still interested in my writing/fanfics then you can find me on tumblr Collectionofnothingstories where I post my one-shots (there are a few Teen Wolf, Supernatural, and Sherlock). I'll try to update my other story sometime this week but I make no promises. Thank you to those who keep reading this, I hope I can make it worth reading to the end.\\\\\_


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